Family Forgotten
by Matrix6241
Summary: chptr 10 up! LAST CHPTR! A young boy named Jack has been living his life out in the wilderness, only knowing bits of his beginnings, he looks for his father and stubles upon the institute for answers and gets more than he thought.
1. Alone!

Disclaimer: I own nothing pertaining to X - men or any of its affiliates I do on the other hand own my character Wolf  
  
Author's notes: this is a neat little story I thought up while searching online for something to read . funny huh.  
  
Family Forgotten  
  
Chapter 1: Alone!  
  
My life is pretty dismal. Its funny I'm still sane after all this time, for someone to spend this much time alone in the wilderness would drive them mad but to tell you the truth I kind of like it like this I've only been out here most of my life. My name is Jack Howlett some people call me "Wolf", I live in the wilderness of British Colombia, Canada. As far as I can remember I will be 100 years old in the year of 2003, you would never guess because I only look like I'm about 30 or so. I have been alone most of my life running away from my adoptive parents when I was only seven, my real mother was murdered when I was two by some man in a fight with another man back at the mine where I was born those many years ago. If you're wondering how I've ended up this way it's not because of some freak accident or no I didn't discover the fountain of youth, it's because of my mutant traits passed on through my father to me. I have done some reading on my condition it is caused by a gene in the DNA called the X- gene. It is a mutant gene usually manifesting and giving the person some random ability starting around puberty, like heightened senses or the ability to walk through walls and that sort of thing. This time it changed my body like so many others not what was on the outside but on the inside giving me razor sharp bone claws that extend out of my forearm, that due to mutated arm muscles, I can retract willing leaving no trace of them behind. My other traits include animal senses and heightened strength, not to mention my claws and healing ability. I have heard some people talk about another person with my same traits and how a disaster crippled him mentally as he fled to the woods to cover his many mistakes and live out his life in peace. I have talked to many of the older workers at the mining site over my lifetime and found that my mother Rose was killed by this tormented man, oddly enough bearing the same genetic traits as my own. He was in a fight with another man from his troubled past who attacked my mother and my mother got attacked in the crossfire. I needed to find this man for he was the ticket to my one question, who is my father, since he was a friend to my mother he may know my father, and the possibility of his whereabouts.  
  
I left my little hut in the small mountainous region just inside the B.C border near the city of Grande Prairie Alberta, and walked out into a cold March morning only packing a thin sweater and a few packs of matches. Living this long out here I've found that learning to survive is highly essential. I was out to check my traps and do some tracking to find some deer meat to last me possibly another month or so until spring breakup in early April then I could find harder to gather items. I walked along the paths that I have made over the past few years and listened for the sounds of a struggle I leapt up in to an open pine and peered below to find a young stag, only a yearling, caught in one of my snags. Looking down at him I wondered if I should let him go but then I noticed that he had been there for at least ten to fifteen hours by the badly cut hind let that was in my trap. With that kind of wound he wouldn't survive any longer that a few weeks before infection would set in and he would die, or there was another scenario. I could smell the sweet aroma of blood in the air and noticed it would have to be his leg so then there would be wolves after him in no time flat leaving him to be prey and eventually come to the same end. I slinked down the tree and silently moved on him, in his panicked rush he didn't even notice me coming up from behind until it was too late. I leapt at him using one of my claws to slash his neck on the way by, I then headed behind him and cut the glands out so it wouldn't stale the meat. Picking up the 700Lbs carcass I headed back to the hut for skinning and to cook and early dinner. Those two miles to my home are pretty hard as it always is in the mountains, I've gotten used to moving back and forth all the time so it is getting easier all the time to walk, but that doesn't change anything when you are packing another 700Lbs on your back. I walked along a ravine that would take me directly to my front doorstep, one of many along the way, and then out of the blue I heard it. It was loud and moving quickly toward me, out of the corner of my eye I saw a small blip but with a bright accent behind it, it was a rocket. Where did it come from, I could see a plane anywhere? Running, the rocket collided with the forest to the side of me leveling nearly a square acre of forest behind me as the shockwave pushed me forward into the snow under my feet. Getting up I noticed three men on the horizon with guns, another four approaching from the north. Leaping into the forest I ran hoping to make it back to my hut and that they wouldn't find me there. Leaving the ground I went to the trees leaping from tree to tree with surprising speed and agility, from there I ran following the trees into a clearing. I left the trees to be welcomed but the smell of steel but where could it have been coming from I couldn't see or hear anything, just then it hit me (literally) only then revealing its image to the world. I had run into the fuselage of an attack helicopter specially outfitted to carry a small contingent of people. Getting up off the ground I was surrounded by four men each holding an M-16 assault rifle and having a Colt 9mm as a side arm, getting ready fro the worst I unsheathed my claws and prepared for the shit to hit the fan. They came at me all at once hoping to hit me in the head with the butts of their rifles, the first I impaled him and sent him into the one in front of me. The two beside me, I spun around and slit their throats. Suddenly I felt a sharp pain in my right shoulder as I turned around to find that the one soldier that only got knocked down was holding a dart gun, then is when I felt the drug taking effect. Man that was quick, blacking out is a neat experience because all goes quiet then it goes dark, almost like a movie.  
  
All that I remember is that I was being flown somewhere by the same men that were after me in the forest, in the same chopper that I ran into. Everything else was pretty well blank; I awoke to find myself in a steel room, no windows and only one door in and out. There was a bed against the wall with a change of clothes and a plate of food. Eating the food I started to look for a way out, finding the creases to the doors I figured I could pull them open but there was nothing to grab on to, ejecting my claws I tried cutting through the doors but all I did was leave deep scratches hardly even affecting the metal. Giving up I slept in the corner with my head in my lap keeping an ear open for any changes in the room. It was getting warm in there so I stripped off my jacket and heavier over pants that left me shirtless wearing a pair deer hide pants and my moccasins, I never really had the money to buy clothes so I asked favors of the elder native women around the mine to make me some better clothes I would just have to bring them meat and the skins for their efforts. It must have been about three to four hours before I heard the door begin to open to my little room, lifting my head I found that there were two men in white lab coats coming in the question was why. The two men were unarmed and paying heavy attention to what I was doing, slowly I extended my claws out hand by hand and they didn't seem afraid at all, there went my plan of intimidation. They started to talk amongst themselves and I was able to pick up most of it, but it was a bit edgy. They were talking of another and some sort of similar procedure and how I was different from the other. They made reference to my speed, agility, and stealth not even mentioning my claws. I also heard something about the name weapon X and why it was important to have me, just then three men with rifles walked in and I immediately stood up to stop their oncoming attack, as I was about to slash out at them I was brought to my knees by a huge electrical jolt running through my spine. I looked up to find one of the whites coats was holding a controller.  
  
"Neural implant, so if you make any unwanted movements you will get a nice little zap," he explained walking out of the room leaving the three guys to pick me up and drag me to another room, that's when I blacked out again.  
  
I woke up long enough to find myself in some sort of vertical tank having hoses strung all over the place and myself in suspension, water all around and I could hear nothing outside of the tank then I was out again. I don't remember much about the last few hours, but one thing was for sure that there was a lot of pain I ached from head to toe I was probably going through some sort of operation and they didn't bother using anesthetic. Even though my body heals quickly it still takes time on the larger stuff taking about a day to finish healing completely. I awoke to find myself on the bed in my room, a meal on the stand and my head pounding from all of the drugs they had injected through me to keep control of my body. Trying to sit up was a struggle my body felt as if it weighed about 300Lbs, that wasn't right. Maybe it was the drugs that were still in my system that were doing it I really don't know but I practically couldn't move off of that bed. I looked around to the meal on the stand to find they left no utensils this time, extending my claws I was raked with sudden pain as steel blades shot out of my arm. Retracting four of my six I cut my food and allowed my pain to subside, my bone ones had disappeared and I was left with these metal ones in place of them that left the question "what else had they done to me?" Standing up I was out of balance due to my added weight, I let my tail sway back and fourth to help correct it. WAIT A MINUET!!! TAIL!!! When did I get a tail!!! Oh now I was scared, if someone had enough balls to chase me down in the middle of a forest and then haul my ass out to some building and give me metal claws and a tail they must be insane or fairly determined. Stepping around a bit I felt uncomfortable, my joints were all stiff from sitting too long, that meant I could have been out for days or even weeks if this was happening. The good thing was that I kept all the clothing that came with me; they hadn't bothered to take it away when they drug me off to the tank. Behind me the door opened and a dark figure in a lab coat walked in holding a remote and a syringe.  
  
"Ah Weapon X I see you have awakened, he said putting the syringe in a holster on his belt.  
  
"Who are you and what have you done to me?"  
  
` "Oh nothing much Weapon X just a few upgrades, surprising enough you are only the second person to receive those upgrades, the weapon X before you didn't receive the tail for he was already well balanced for his abilities,"  
  
"Oh really and what do these upgrades amount to?"  
  
"Your skeleton has been coated in a liquid metal called adamantium when solidified it is virtually indestructible, your bone claws were also coated in the same metal. Your eyes have been altered giving you night vision but that leaves you with a side effect,"  
  
"What is that?"  
  
"Your eyes now look like you have two chrome spheres in place of them, so passing for human is virtually impossible. Your tail is similar to that of a large cat, giving you much better balance than that of a normal human or mutant," the man explained.  
  
"So basically you have turned me into some sort of freak show,"  
  
"No we built you to suit our needs and that is all, you belong to us!"  
  
"I don't think so buddy," I said leaping at him, I quickly slashed his right hand off as I pushed to get by him.  
  
He fell back to the floor in pain as I dove over him but not without stabbing me with the needle he was holding first. I dashed about the complex slashing through doors hoping to catch the scent of fresh air so it could lead me to the exit of this hellhole. I passed through about twenty different corridors before I found what I was looking for, it was a large vent but it went directly to the outside. Slashing through I leapt up and started to smell my way around the vents, it was a search but I soon found the source of the lovely scent. Kicking the panel out I found myself about thirty feet up off the ground with an ice covered lake below me, I decided to jump and hope for the best the evening air should have covered my escape. I hit the surface hard and the ice quickly let go below me. The lake water must have only been just above freezing because it was cold almost numbing and me being only in a pair of pants and moccasins didn't help either. Giving myself about thirty feet of distance before clawing through to the surface I ran the rest of the way to shore. I cut wood and built a hut and fire hoping that they wouldn't see me from their stations. This part of the country I was not familiar with then again I could be in the states down in their Rocky Mountains by now. Letting myself dry by the fire I fell asleep and waited for morning when I would have to find some sort of civilization to give me some indication of where I was.  
  
I awoke to find it bright outside which bothered my new eyes. I walked into the forest and it was fairly warm out being a nice 10 degrees Celsius or so, smothering what was left of my fire I left heading West following distant scents and hoping they could lead me somewhere. I kept at a good pace doing about six or seven miles an hour just to leave some energy in reserve. Within about five hours or so I stumbled upon a highway with cars moving for miles to come, I found a few different trucks to be moving along the way and I was quick to stumble upon a grocery truck heading my way. Timing my jump right I landed on the roof just as he drove past me, I used my claws to etch a hole in the room and enter from above. Unfortunately the truck was carrying only cooled goods like meat and fries, but looking harder I found about half a dozen crates holding other goods like fruit, cheese, and milk. I ate quickly knowing the truck could stop at any time and I didn't need a conflict; heading out on top I sat down and waited for the nearest town to come up using my claws as anchor points I fell asleep. I don't know why my body required so much sleep lately maybe my body was fighting something that I contracted something back in that lab. Waking up again the truck had stopped at some sort of motel for the night, this gave me a chance to get away and find out where I was. Walking down what appeared to be the main street of the town I stumbled upon a clothing store in which I soon broke into and got myself a clean and complete change of clothes, to cover my tail I wrapped it around my waist and used it like a belt, as for my eyes I snagged a pair of sunglasses on the way out. It didn't take me very long to find a gas station where I could ask for directions. The woman behind the till was a slim blonde with brown eyes and delicate hands, she could easily work the till as someone like me would have a pretty hard time hitting all the right keys.  
  
"Hello there how is your evening sir," she asked.  
  
"Fine thank you, could tell me what place this is I was asleep when I arrived,"  
  
"Oh this place, this is Milk River,"  
  
"You mean in Southern Alberta?" I asked.  
  
"Yeah," she said suspiciously. "Why are you wearing those sunglasses it's the middle of the night,"  
  
"I have an eye condition and you wouldn't like what you would see,"  
  
"Oh really now, I've seen a lot of gross things and they haven't bothered me one bit," she told me coming out from behind the counter.  
  
"You haven't seen anything like this before trust me,"  
  
"Oh yeah try me,"  
  
"Promise you won't scream?"  
  
"I promise,"  
  
"How are you around mutants?" I asked her backing up a bit.  
  
"I'm comfortable with them because one of my best friends is a mutant and she now lives in New York with a few others," she told me.  
  
"What are her abilities?" I asked intrigued.  
  
"She's only a telepathic and a mild psychic,"  
  
"Really, well I have a healing ability and an adamantium skeleton, not to mention my heightened senses, night vision eyes, and these." I continued throwing my claws out and taking off my sunglasses.  
  
"HOLY SHIT!!! You were born like that?"  
  
"No, just recently I was taken captive and somebody gave me these "enhancements"," I told her uncoiling my tail.  
  
"So what were you born with?"  
  
"My claws, which were bone before, my senses and my healing factor," I told her she seemed quite stunned that I would be telling her all of this.  
  
"Where do you come from?"  
  
"A small mining community in B.C and yourself?"  
  
"I come from Washington DC where my friend was from before moving to New York, to the academy," she told me.  
  
"What brought you out here?" I asked seeming a bit curious.  
  
"Oh I have family around here and it is nice to go to a Canadian school because there are a lot fewer students allowing for more alone time,"  
  
"Sounds like you made the right choice. I don't want to hold you up so I will be on my way thank you for the chat,"  
  
"Your welcome, maybe I will see you around here again,"  
  
"Maybe," I said leaving the store head out East towards the long journey ahead. 


	2. A New Arrival

Family Forgotten  
  
Chapter 2: A New Arrival  
  
The mansion was quiet today a lot of the students had left for our seasonal vacations and it was quite different for me. When I was younger the vacation would be an endless pot of fun, for going back to our families was rare due to the school's reputation as only a center for higher learning not some center for mutant training. My name is Hank McCoy some people call me Beast, I'm one of the staff here at the school and a mutant myself. There have been many students through this school and I was one of them only recently have I changed into my true mutant self, I thought since I was this way I could not function in normal society so I came home to teach others like me how to use their powers for good and help the humans to realize that being a mutant wasn't a disease but a gift, giving greater possibilities for the lesser population. Some parents have come to us openly and some of our students are cast outs and runaways, we greet all here with open arms. There are a few of us that have our pasts shrouded in doubt and the unknown, like Logan. He is a mutant who knows really nothing of himself, for his past was filled with lies. Being captured long ago by the weapon X program they changed him giving him adamantium bones and claws and inputted false memories via memory chips to keep him under control. Rouge is another of those candidates, her past is filled with tragedy and heartbreak with a lot of things still hidden from her to this day including her real name. Like I had said the mansion was quiet today and we were really doing nothing much to occupy ourselves except clean and tidy up before the students returned home. While cleaning the main foyer I hear a ring of the doorbell, walking over I found a young man about the age of 25 - 30 at the door. He looked ill and in the need of medical attention so I packed him inside and brought him to the medical wing of the mansion were he soon fell into unconsciousness, his body felt oddly heavy considering he was well built but that would make him only about 200Lbs this felt more along the lines of 250 - 300Lbs. Laying him down the professor and Logan had followed me inside with Ororo quick behind them.  
  
"Hank do you know who he is?" the professor asked.  
  
"Sorry Xavier I don't but he was oddly heavy when I had picked him up, and that's the thing he isn't carrying anything at all just the clothes o his back,"  
  
"Interesting, Hank take off his sunglasses so I can get a look at his eyes just to see how badly they're dilated,"  
  
I removed his glasses to find two chrome spheres staring back at me, this man was truly unique. Just then I noticed something about his belt, giving it a slight tug it fell back and hung away from him telling me this was a tail. After seeing this the professor decided to give him a full body scan to see if there was anything wrong internally. It took about five to ten minuets to do the scan and the results were incredibly similar to one we had done before, just like Logan's. This man had a full adamantium skeleton and claws just like Logan's not to mention the bones in his tail and the modification to his eyes. There was a neural implant we found attached to the back of the skull and a bacteria that was infesting his body slowly shutting it down, using haste we quickly removed it and gradually pulled the bacteria from his body leaving his body weak but able to heal itself. Finding an open room for him we allowed him to rest up hoping he could give us some answers about himself. Walking out of his room I found Logan waiting for me.  
  
"Hey Hank what's up with our new guest?" Logan asked.  
  
"Well he's resting and getting stronger so he may be awake by tomorrow. How many others were there on the weapon X program?" I asked him.  
  
"Just me and Sabretooth why? Are you thinking they got to him too?"  
  
"Just maybe, the images that we got from the scan showed me that this was a recent job maybe six months old at the most,"  
  
"Poor guy, no man should have been put through what I've gone through, but you never know maybe he can shed come light on what really went on there,"  
  
"Maybe, we'll just have to wait and see Logan," I told him walking out into the foyer.  
  
That evening was a bit tense for all of us for we didn't know what it would bring, this strange person had shown up on our doorstep and he bears striking resemblance to the mutant we know the least about. It was about 1:00 in the morning when I heard it a small crash coming from the dormitories, heading down to our new friends room I found it empty and he was gone, knowing he couldn't have gotten very far I went out to look for him. This guy was quick because his scent was faint mostly over the hallways meaning he wouldn't spend too much time in one place and keep himself moving to avoid detection. I headed off to the kitchen and just before the doorway I stopped, having a gut feeling I turned and grabbed behind me. Just out of pure luck I had grabbed him by the neck, quickly letting him go I stepped back a bit to give him some room.  
  
"So I see your awake, are you feeling any better?"  
  
"Now that you mention it I am, thank you. Now for starters I'm in the mutant academy I heard about correct?" he said his chrome eyes shining back at me.  
  
"Well if you mean Xavier's institute for the gifted, yes you are in the academy. What I would like to know is who are you?" I asked the man as he sat there on all fours.  
  
"My name is Jack Howlett, I'm from a mining colony in B.C Canada. If you would like you can call me Wolf,"  
  
"Nice to meet you Jack, my name is Hank McCoy, some people call me beast,"  
  
"Nice to meet you Hank, please pardon my scurrying about, I've just been a little uneasy for the past little while considering what happened to me," he said standing up on two feet.  
  
"Well you'll have plenty of time to tell us about it tomorrow, there is another like you here his name is Logan he is actually quite interested in your story,"  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yes he fell victim to the weapon X program and they messed him right up, he doesn't even know his real name. He's not even sure which of his memories are implants or reality,"  
  
"Man I never thought that it could get that bad," he said starting to walk back to the dormitories.  
  
"Well I bid you good evening, and we will see you in the morning Jack,"  
  
"Good to you too Hank," he said heading into his room.  
  
I went back to my room and laid down for the short rest ahead of me there was going to be a lot found out tomorrow and I wouldn't miss it for the world. 


	3. Questions answered

Family Forgotten  
  
Chapter 3: Questions answered  
  
I have admit that meeting Hank like that was a bit odd, seeing the mansion was a bit different I had never been in a house this big. I was feeling a lot better from before, whatever that was in me was gone now and I was happy of that. I threw on my clothes and walked out into the kitchen to find Hank and a few others at the table enjoying breakfast; there were two other women and two other guys. Hank was the first to notice me walk in.  
  
"Ah Jack did you have a good rest?"  
  
"To tell you the truth Hank its quite different from what I'm used to,"  
  
"How do you mean?"  
  
"Well I live out in the wilderness myself so I don't usually sleep in a bed it's more like a deerskin hammock or something along those lines,"  
  
"Really? Well come sit and have something to eat you must be starving,"  
  
There I sat just having a bit of breakfast when I smelt it, a weird scent coming from one of them, I narrowed it down to being the man at the far end of the table. He seemed a bit dark, keeping to himself there being something about the scent that he gave off that made it familiar as if I knew it from somewhere. But I was instantly snapped back when the man in the wheel chair started to speak to me.  
  
"My name is Xavier, where do you come from Jack? " he asked me finding a closer vantage at the table to speak to me from.  
  
"I'm from B.C Canada, a small mining colony up in the Rockies," I said while one of the women there brought me a cup of coffee. "Thank you," I told her before she sat down.  
  
"That's interesting, because we found Logan here not far from that area," he said pointing to the dark man at the corner of the table.  
  
"Really," I noted looking over to find that the conversation had caught his attention. I turned to him "Logan right? From what I hear you and I are alike in more ways than I can think of right now. Both of us have adamantium skeletons, both of us with animal senses, both of us belonged to the weapon X program, and both of us have these," I explained drawing my claws out.  
  
Everything went quiet in the room as we waited for him to say something, but he didn't, not until I was ready to. " Do you have a healing factor as well?"  
  
"Yes I do, that's why I'm a century old and I don't look a day over 25,"  
  
"WHAT!!!" was the single word spoken by everyone in the room.  
  
"You can't be 100 your healing factor wouldn't hold up for that long," Hank said  
  
"How do you know? I've lived through the great depression and both world wars. The birth certificate I was issued was labeled for me to have been born in 1903," I told them. "Logan you're probably older than I am,"  
  
"What would make you say that? Jack,"  
  
"Well first of all your scent is familiar considering that we have never met I must have met you at a very young age or was naturally accustomed to your smell, so let me ask you this. Does the name Rose Howlett remind you of anyone?"  
  
Then I seen something I wouldn't have expected, Logan took on a pale complexion as he just broke down right there in front of us at the table. "How do you know that name?!" he yelled at me.  
  
"She is my mother oddly enough. My full name is Jack Abraham Howlett; my father's name is James Howlett, the second son of John and Elizabeth Howlett. Ring a bell Logan?" I told him making a sudden realization. "Now I know why your scent was so familiar, your James Howlett aren't you? You're my father".  
  
"Yes, I remember now I am James Howlett, but how do you know all of this? Rose never told anyone about our relationship as far as I knew, she didn't even tell me I had a son!"  
  
"I remember being told about a fight you and this guy named dog got into, that was the same day my mother died, she was probably coming out to tell you about it before you." that's when I trailed off knowing I had gone too far.  
  
"OH FUCK WHY ME!!!" he screamed out running out of the room.  
  
I was about to leave when the professor advised me not to go, but Beast said other wise and I had soon left the room chasing after my so-called father. He was nowhere to be found in the mansion so I followed his scent out to the garage, where I found him fueling up his bike ready to leave, still with tears in his eyes.  
  
"GO AWAY!!!" he bellowed at me.  
  
"No!!!" I yelled back. "You have to face this and deal with it, I've finally brought your past into the light and you're about to leave it behind, what are you thinking".  
  
"I can't do this, you know why because the last time something this big came back to me I had a nervous breakdown alright a history lesson like this will only make it worse,"  
  
"No it won't, you need to face it right here and right now only then will you be truly happy and able to stop running from the things that you fear the most," I told him. "So get off that GOD DAMN bike and look at me!!! The least you could do is look at me. All of this happened a long time ago. I know you lost your wife but at least you found your son".  
  
"Yeah a son I didn't even know I had!!"  
  
"But at least you know and now I'm here in front of you. Doesn't that matter at all?"  
  
He just froze, to tell you the truth I don't know weather I knocked some sense into him or I just pissed him off. Then he looked at me and that look was one of understanding. From what I seen I guess he finally realized what I was talking about, slowly he crawled off the bike and stood before me just looking into my eyes. Then something unexpected happened, he just came over and gave me as hug. I brought my arms up and hugged him back.  
  
"Thank you Jack. It may take a while but I think that I can still be your father, this is just a lot to take in right now especially when I only remember the accident with your mother,"  
  
"I know, and I'll try to still be your son," I told him breaking out of his hug.  
  
Without another word spoken we headed back into the mansion and to the others. As we talked more and more we deducted that my father James was about 120 years old, unfortunately the two of us didn't have a clue as to where he grew up, checking moms old letters and that would be the best answer, from there we should be able to get an idea as to where my father grew up. I wasn't sure if my foster brother still had them or not. By the time our talk had ended it was well into the evening allowing most of us to go straight to bed.  
  
The next morning was relaxing because everyone's face was known and there were no more questions to be asked, ok there were but the essentials had been answered. Stepping downstairs I found dad at the table with his morning coffee, Ororo was at the counter preparing some French toast and bacon with some hash browns along side it, Xavier hadn't woken up yet and Hank was supposed to be in the danger room for his early morning romp. Someone was missing, now what is her name, ah yes Kitty that's what her name is; where could she be, normally a young girl like her would be out and about right about now.  
  
"Morning dad, Ororo," I said to the two of them.  
  
"Morning Jack, how was your rest?" Ororo asked finishing up breakfast.  
  
"Oh it was fine, I actually sleep well for once instead of always being on alert out in the bush," I told her grabbing a seat at the table.  
  
"Well we're glad to hear that Jack," she said sitting next to my father.  
  
Watching the two of them they seemed a bit more attentive than usual, leading me to believe they had something more than a friendship. "Are you two together? You know,"  
  
"Yes we are, was it really that hard to tell?" Ororo said putting her arms around his waist.  
  
"No not at all it just seems a bit weird that's all,"  
  
"How so?" she asked.  
  
"Well if you look at it this way, both my father and I are centurions. Meaning we have exceeded the 100 year old age marker, and you're what 37 at the most that means that you could easily be my great, great granddaughter," I said trying not to laugh at the whole thing. Watching my dad he was chuckling a bit under his breath as well.  
  
Just then Ororo jabbed him in the ribs. "Well!!! He has a point but it still doesn't matter. You and I are together and that's what counts". He said giving her a kiss on the forehead.  
  
"Well this guy can still run with the best of them so you can just keep quiet," she said glaring at me from across the table. "There isn't another 100 year old that can perform like he can yet".  
  
"Ok that besides me being that other 100 year old that was more information than what I needed to know right now thank you!" I said diverting my eyes to the paper ahead of me and taking a sip of my coffee.  
  
After sharing a good laugh we went back to eating our breakfast. Soon enough the professor had woken up and a few of the others were kicking around. Looking around I still couldn't find Kitty anywhere it was like as if she completely disappeared from the mansion. Stepping into her room I gathered a sample of her scent and I was soon out on a search. I couldn't believe that she was so hard to track down; it was as if her scent floated through the walls and left me particularly stumped. Even though she was a mutant she shouldn't be that hard to track down I mean its not like she can phase through walls or anything like that. Walking back to the kitchen I found the others still there and I caught Kitty's scent again.  
  
"Oh god were can she be hiding?"  
  
"Who?" My father asked.  
  
"Oh Kitty I can find her scent but it fades through the walls and floors so I can't seem to find her," I told him taking another seat at the table.  
  
"Why do you want to find her so badly?"  
  
"Oh I just figured I would wake her up and then have her come down to breakfast, but when I got there she wasn't in bed and there is no other way of getting to the kitchen," I told him getting a bit frustrated.  
  
"Well good luck cause she has a way of doing stuff like that," my father told he.  
  
"What do you mean?" I asked grabbing for an apple off the table, just then a hand reached through the table scaring me half to death.  
  
Falling over back wards, everyone started to laugh as kitty came up to join us at the table. "Hello Jack didn't see you there," she told me taking a proper seat at the table.  
  
"Dad why didn't you tell me that she could do that?"  
  
"Oh I thought that I would let it torment you for some time and then she decided to show up so I didn't have to,"  
  
"Oooo your mean,"  
  
"Yeah I get that a lot,"  
  
Finishing breakfast we left to do our own little things my father and I left to go the yard then after that we would go and train against the security system of the mansion, I was finally getting to be comfortable here. 


	4. On the road to memories

Family Forgotten  
  
Chapter 4: On the Road to Memories  
  
I have been living at the mansion now for over six months and life has been never better, with the help of the professor, he has gave me some lenses to help with my eyes and make me appear more normal to everyone else. As for my tail I simply wear it as a belt and only pull it out when I have to run or do something that requires a lot of balance. My father has taken it upon himself to train me more in martial arts as far as my fighting skills go and Hank has offered to instruct me in the art of acrobatics helping me to move more gracefully around and make it easier to over come my opponents. Getting to know everyone in the mansion was a bit of a task but I was quick to get around to it, there are a few that catch my eye though. Rouge and Kitty were at the top of my list. The three of us would play around a lot and train together, of course they knew of the age difference but they didn't care because I was just like them, just for longer. Another good friend in the X-men was Kurt, he being the only other mutant with a tail he and I suffered some of the same problems associated with having the X- gene. The mornings were becoming all to common now, but with the semester under way they were far busier than those in the summer months. As normal, my father came down with Ororo and then it was Scott and Jean followed by Kitty then Rouge. Kurt and I were at the table with coffee in tail and were dishing into the French toast platter that was prepared for us by Hank and the Professor, Rouge and Kitty were pretty much out of it they had mentioned that there was some sort of studying that they had to do before this morning's classes.  
  
"Hey girls what shakin'?" I asked them.  
  
"Yeah you guys look beat, what happened?" Kurt asked.  
  
"Too tired, can't talk," they said walking over to get their food.  
  
I could do nothing but laugh under my breath, mind you I did have a mouth full of bread at the time, Kurt was doing the same until he started choking on a piece of fruit, then in the confusion spilt the coffee held in his tail all over his ass and then proceeded to fall over backwards and out of his chair gasping for breath. Now if that wasn't bad enough, I ended up laughing so hard over the whole thing I fell backwards out of my place at the table getting everyone else into the whole thing.  
  
Mornings like this were nice because it allowed everybody to see each other and that way, you would at least know that they were alive. After break fast dad and I started to pack for the trip, we planned on going on to find who his parents were and exactly where in Alberta they had lived, he mentioned something about having a surprise for me in the garage but I had no clue as to what it could be, I guess I would have to wait. Gathering our things he and Ororo met me in the foyer more towards the entrance to the mansion's garage.  
  
"Ready for this Jack?"  
  
"About as ready as I'll ever be dad,"  
  
"Glad to hear that, it's a long way to Alberta from here,"  
  
"You think I don't know that, I walked here from Milk River, Alberta," I told my father as we approached the garage.  
  
"Yeah, Yeah I know just buggin' ya. Now it's time for that surprise I told you about son,"  
  
"Really, what could it be?"  
  
"Well I hope you like her,"  
  
"Her?? What do you mean her?"  
  
"Just see for yourself," he told me opening the door to the garage.  
  
There before me sat a custom Harley Davidson soft tail cruiser, a pure gem in the biking world. She was a sleek black, with chrome custom pipes, and a form fitted custom seat. Not to mention that she was chopped and lowered 2" all around; the engine was bored out and polished right up and ready for riding.  
  
"Oh my GOD!!!!!!!!" I yelled out. "What a bike. thank you, thank you, thank you, ." I told him giving him and Ororo a hug then moving in to check my new girl out, and I'm pretty sure seeing a guy of my age jumping around and almost crying like a little school girl wasn't bad enough but I have to admit this was an awesome bike.  
  
"I figured that you'd like her," he said pulling out his older cruiser and checking the fluids.  
  
"How did you find her?" I asked him.  
  
"Oh we had an old one kickin' around the mansion so I went out and found that bike and then traded the old one off to the die hard Harley owner that had her before you,"  
  
"I couldn't begin to imagine why he would trade this one off,"  
  
"He mentioned that he was looking for another for a custom project and he didn't have the heart to chop this girl up. The bike I gave him was a bit rough but far from wrecked, I mean I even rode it around once and a while,"  
  
"Huh, that's interesting, but thank you never the less,"  
  
"Yeah I figured if you're my son you should be into bikes as well, and I guess I was right,"  
  
"By the way is Ororo going to ride with you?"  
  
"Oh hell no! She has her own bike, one that I tuned myself so I know that its going to run right," he told me as Ororo brought hers up to the door.  
  
Ororo helped me put the stuff into the saddlebags and we opened the door to the compound. Heading out we made our way North to Ontario Canada and on towards Ottawa. The trip up there was nice and relaxing, I got to open up the bike a bit and see what she was really made of, as we made our way up to Canada the border patrol was eager to let us by considering that we were only on bikes and that same time allowed me to have my eyes out in the open for once, if they saw the chrome over I could call them a new form of sunglasses. Within two days we were in Ottawa and heading over to parlament hill, getting directions from there we left to find the financial records of our family. Walking into the revenue Canada building there was a younger lady working at the counter, she was a slim cut redhead with amber eyes wearing a short red skirt and a white blouse (hey I can't help it if I'm a little observant ok!). We headed up and I found her name to be Jeanette, pretty name for a pretty girl.  
  
"Hello there may I help you?" she asked.  
  
"Yes you may, we're looking for records about our family's financial history and such," my father told her  
  
"Well it's a tall order but what is the name of the family?"  
  
"Howlett, John and Elizabeth,"  
  
She punched away on her computer for a bit and looked for a minute as if she found something.  
  
"Well I found a file, but this thing is ancient the last recording was just before the 20th century, they make a note of having one son and a ranch in southern Alberta. May I ask what this is regarding?"  
  
"Well you may find this real hard to believe but John and Elizabeth are my father's parents," I told her pointing to my father beside me.  
  
"Yeah right!! That would make you over 100, and to tell you the truth you don't anywhere over fifty," she said looking at the two of us.  
  
"Well he is and me myself am over one hundred as well, in fact I fought in both world wars and lived through the great depression,"  
  
"You know what mister, you guys crack me up and since this is going on I don't think I should give you that information," she said looking back to her computer.  
  
"Ok if you want proof that I fought in the wars, you should have the enlistment files of everyone in both wars in storage here. Go in the back and pull the files on Jack Howlett out for both and I will have a photo accompanied with both, sure my eyes will be different but that doesn't matter," I told her.  
  
"What do you mean, your eyes will be different?" she asked.  
  
"Oh, nothing much are you sure that you want to know?"  
  
"Why not, now that you have my curiosity you should really show me,"  
  
"Fine but let me tell you now that I warned you,"  
  
"Fine enough now show me!" she told me growing impatient.  
  
Slowly I removed my glasses to reveal the chrome orbs that were now my eyes, she stood back almost gasping for breath at the sight of them, she looked at them closely thinking that they were contacts for a minute but I was soon to assure her that they weren't.  
  
"What happened, I mean you can't be born like that,"  
  
"Well that is a long story in itself, scientists did this to me hoping to create the perfect weapon, they gave me a few other things but that I won't go into," I told her putting my glasses back on.  
  
"Try me, now that you got my attention, you should spill the beans," she told me leaning in to get a better look.  
  
"I'm a mutant," I told her, of course she was a bit taken back but continued to listen. "I was born with a few things like, bone claws and animal senses and even a heightened healing factor. That inadvertently allows me not to age and well this organization wanted my body as their next weapon. They gave me an adamantium skeleton and these eyes and even a tail to improve my balance. I was supposed to be the new weapon X, better than my predecessor, oddly enough I found out a little while back that my father was that predecessor and I got out of the situation lucky, as for him. My father has broken memories due to the memory implants put in by the doctors, they give him their reality and what's left of his own life leaving him unable to distinguish reality from fiction,"  
  
"That's horrid, what kind of person could do such a thing?" she asked.  
  
"The Canadian government,"  
  
"No!! Really that's who did all this?"  
  
"Yeah, my father has been this way for nearly thirty some odd years, as for me I've only been this way for nearly a year and a bit, most of it I don't remember since they had me drugged up all the time," I told her, leaving her a bit stunned and at a loss for words.  
  
"That's incredible, but wouldn't you know more about your family considering that you have been around that much more untouched,"  
  
"No, I don't because I was born in a mining camp were my father was staying after his parents were murdered. Just after my mother died he went to the bush to seclude himself from the outside world. So while he was gone I stayed at the camp until I was seven and ran off, going out and living off the land," I finished explaining to a stunned woman.  
  
"I will give you the info but I still want to check the files to be sure that you are who you say you are,"  
  
"Fine enough for me, I can wait," I said as she walked out to get the files.  
  
She came back holding two huge folders with all my stats and battles, during world war 1 I fought over in France on the Western Front and then during WW2 I fought over in southern Europe, nearly getting out of operation Market Garden with a few more holes than necessary. During WW2 alone I got five purple hearts, and two silver stars from two different American companies. I have to admit that they were quite the accomplishments, its really bad though that I'm not recognized as a true veteran because of my appearance, but I will always have friends and comrades that I fought with there to prove my story. The information that she gave us lead us to a large and wealthy ranch in the foothills of Alberta, being almost due west of Calgary about an hours drive. With that we headed out, having copies of some of the addresses and a phone number of a local law firm that dealt with grandma and grandpa's will and estate. Whatever was left should be riddled with questions and answers. 


	5. The Homestead

Family Forgotten  
  
Chapter 5: The Homestead  
  
The ride to Alberta was calm and quiet, which was perfect because my father needed to unwind. Crossing from Saskatchewan to Alberta we skimmed past Medicine Hat and took the trans Canada highway all the way down just before Crow's Nest Pass then turned north to go up to Calgary. Riding west out of our short stay in Calgary we made our short hour jog out to the ranch's location, we left the pavement and headed out on the gravel and went about six of seven miles south again to get there. As we pulled up we found the ranch to be in working order yet, the house and the other buildings were looked after all these years. The lawn was a bit tall but it had been cut a few times, and there were cows grazing in the distance. The house was a standard two-story farmhouse painted white with forest green trim and all of the other buildings were painted to match. The panel fencing was painted white leaving the rest to be barbed wire. For the age of the yard the farm wasn't doing that badly, my father looked more stunned than ever he was about to fall over before Ororo and I caught him.  
  
"Do you remember any of this at all Logan?" Ororo asked.  
  
"The images are weak but this was my home, I remember having horses in the front pens here and a few cows and pigs over by the barn. We were a pretty well off family living here and I had an upstairs bedroom in the house," he told us looking around.  
  
"Hard to believe that this place has been around over a century huh?" I said.  
  
"Yeah I know that feeling, sometimes I wonder that about myself," my father said picking himself up off the ground and walking out to the house. "I just wonder if anybody is home, I mean somebody has to be living here if everything is kept as nice as it is,"  
  
"Yeah you have to be right about that," I said to him.  
  
We headed up to the house to be greeted by a young woman leaving the porch area, my father was the first to approach her.  
  
"Hello there may I help you?" she asked.  
  
"Yes, my name is James Howlett, do you live here?"  
  
"Nice to meet you James my name is Beth. At the present moment yes, I'm only renting the house everything else is still held in the estate,"  
  
"Really, so who pays for all the repairs done to the yard and such?"  
  
"Oh all that is taken care through the estate. ungh .what did you say your last name was?"  
  
"Howlett,"  
  
"Your not James Jr. are you?"  
  
"No, my parents are John and Elizabeth Howlett,"  
  
"You see that can't be, that would put you over 100 years old and sir you don't look it at all,"  
  
"Why thank you, but no that is my real name and this is my son Jack here,"  
  
"Hello," I said to her.  
  
"You know that this is a bit unexpected, the heir to the estate was expected to be over 100 and you're not,"  
  
"Listen to him please, he isn't lying to you, because I'm over 100 as well. I've fought in both world wars and seen every bit of history in the past 20th century,"  
  
"Yeah right, if you're over 100 I'm Bet Middler,"  
  
"Are you?"  
  
"NO!" she screamed at me. "Ok if you're over 100, how come you don't look that old?"  
  
"That's because we are.mutants," I told her.  
  
"Really, then where is all your powers and stuff,"  
  
"Well you're looking at them. My father and I both have an accelerated healing factor and predatory senses,"  
  
"That's it?" she asked.  
  
"No, we also have adamantium skeletons and claws," I told her extending the three in my left hand,"  
  
"Holy shit," she said stunned. "And you mean to tell me that you were born that way, with metal bones and claws,"  
  
"Well not exactly, the metal came after an incident with the government along with my eyes and tail," I finished uncoiling it from around my waist and taking off my glasses.  
  
"Oh my god!!! Are you sure you can see out of those?" she asked coming toward me to get a better look.  
  
"Yes I can by the way!!! I can see in the dark too that's why they gave them to me," I explained to her. "Now that we have cleared all that up, would you happen to have the name of the lawyer that is over seeing the estate now?"  
  
"Her name would be Beth Richards, and you would happen to be looking in the right place," she said.  
  
"You're the lawyer?" my father asked.  
  
"Yeah, I've been on this case now for about eight years and it was pretty much dead until you showed up today," she told us. "Now that you are here I guess we should finally look over the will and get things settled out over here,"  
  
"Sounds good to us, may we come in," my father asked.  
  
"Yeah of course it was your house at one time after all," she said heading up the steps to the porch.  
  
Upon entering the house we found it to be very antique looking, very much the way it was originally beside the addition of electricity and indoor plumbing. All original hardwood stained in a dark and glossy chestnut along with the trim along the doorways, the baseboards, and ceiling trim. We walked down the main hallway down to the family room and found she had set up a station for her laptop and printer.  
  
"Let me pull up the records on the estate and then I can see what the will was based on,"  
  
"Ok, my memory is really weak, how did my parents come to pass?" Logan asked.  
  
Giving him a "you are fucked up" look she said, "Well your father was killed by the gardener and his son Dog, your mother committed suicide just after the incident happened, for some reason the gardener was also killed showing signs that the fight between your father and him ended in a stalemate. A young lady by the name of Rose and yourself were nowhere to be found and Dog had already fled the scene,"  
  
Logan sat back into an armchair and looked dead, completely pale faced and zoned out.  
  
"Yo dad you in there?" I asked him.  
  
"Hey Logan honey, snap out of it alright your startin' to freak us out," Ororo said putting her hand in his.  
  
"It can't be!" he said sternly to himself.  
  
"What can't be dad?" I asked him.  
  
"He couldn't be Creed, there's no way in hell that could be him,"  
  
"What?!" Ororo asked.  
  
"Dog, he's Creed, when Weapon X got him they must have changed his name; that's the reason why we have been fighting all these years, it was over Rose. The problem for him was that she hated his guts and he couldn't see it," Logan said finally coming back to reality.  
  
"So Logan you're saying that Sabretooth is the son of your grounds keeper?" Ororo asked.  
  
"Yeah you got that right runt!" he said slyly walking around the corner into the room.  
  
"CREED!!!" Logan yelled out.  
  
"Did ya miss me? I was listening to your whole conversation outside and it was quite the memory jolt there bub. Who would have guess this could have all happened over a woman, god we're good," he said coolly leaning against the doorframe.  
  
"What do you want Creed, I don't want to fight here," Logan said adjusting his posture in the chair he was in.  
  
"Oh but I did, but since this is a question and answer period. Who is the spry lad next to ya, I can see he is a mutant cause of his eyes and tail but what connection does he have to you?" Creed asked looking me over.  
  
"He's my son,"  
  
"Is that so, I'll just have to call him mini runt until then,"  
  
"No, you can call me Wolf until then Creed," I told him getting up and extending my claws.  
  
"Hmph, like father like son. From what I take it Weapon X got em too eh?"  
  
"Yeah not too long ago either. Do you realize this is about the only time we have ever had a sensible talk without resorting to fighting," Logan said keeping an eye on his movements.  
  
"You know you're right, shit I must be gettin' soft or somethin'," he said inspecting his claws.  
  
"Let's take a walk outside,"  
  
"Yes, let's,"  
  
The two of them walked out of the room with my father in tow, about thirty feet from the deck they were already at it. Claws were flying and growls could be heard from the both of them as they battled it out on the front lawn. All that Ororo and I could do was watch the fight ensue between the both of them. Before too long the two of them were beginning to tire as their movements became a bit slower and accuracy was becoming a forgotten factor. My father was swinging hard and leaving the temporary marks to prove it as Creeds wounds were apparent but healed almost instantly. As for Creed he was taking a beating but was holding his own as the last few of his punches got through and put my father down for the count.  
  
"You really must be losing your edge runt, you can't even take a decent beatin' no more," Creed told him keeping his distance. "Maybe your boy here should throw a few at me, or is he weaker than you?"  
  
"I can hold my own," I told him, a light growl escaping from my throat.  
  
"Now Jack don't be getting into this, that's all he wants is a good fight," Ororo advised me placing an arm on my shoulder.  
  
"And I plan to give him one," I told her extending my claws and leaping off the deck. "Better watch out Creed I'm comin' for ya!!!"  
  
I hit him hard in the chest pushing him to the ground and slightly winding him. Getting off his chest I stepped back to let him size me up, I truly hoped he found me fair game. I found him to be hesitant, which provoked a question out of me.  
  
"What's the matter Creed you scared?"  
  
"Heh, kid if I was scared would I do this!!!" quickly he grabbed hold of me and got into a bear hug.  
  
Using his strength he started to try and crush my adamantium spine, noticing my hands out to the side and near his flanks I pierced his ribs hard with my claws causing him to drop me on the ground. As he rubbed his sides helping nurse the pain away I used the brief opportunity to give him a good toss, running at him I leapt over and grabbed hold of him by the neck. Placing my feet at the base of his spine I rolled him right back onto his neck. From there he lay motionless, making the mistake I walked up to check him. He grabbed my foot and spun me around slashing my abdomen and chest as he got up. I fought hard and was able to get a claw behind his knee to disable him for a bit while I could recover.  
  
"You're pretty good kid, you fight differently than your old man,"  
  
"You think so huh, he was the one that taught me,"  
  
"Really? Ain't that somethin'," he said re positioning himself. "How about round two?"  
  
"Your on!!" I told him getting ready to leap at him. "Both of you stop this at once!!!" Ororo yelled holding a bolt of lightning above her ready to strike. "This is no place for a fight, so break it up or this will get ugly,"  
  
Taking her word I backed down and moved away from Creed, he on the other hand had other ideas. Leaping at her she gave him a full blast of electricity tossing him back a good fifty feet. Looking down were he had landed I seen him slowly get up, and quickly make his exit for the time being. The two of us made our way over to my father who was still a bit out of it he took a good hit to the head but he would be alright in a couple minutes or so.  
  
"Jeez dad you can't really take a hit no more can ya?" I asked him helping him sit up.  
  
"When he punched me upside the head my mind was elsewhere and then it went blank," he told us rubbing his temple. "By the way where did he go?"  
  
"He left after Ororo here gave him a good blast to break up his fight with me,"  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah, he's pretty strong but he's slow too and that's where I have the advantage over him in battle,"  
  
"You're learning fast kid, that's good because he will want another tussle sometime in the future from you so be ready,"  
  
"Gotcha dad, now lets finish up things in the house and we can leave back to New York," I told him.  
  
"Good idea," Ororo said helping my father off the ground.  
  
"I second that," he told us dusting himself off.  
  
Heading up the steps we found the young lawyer waiting for us a bit dazed but able to grasp the situation. We went back to the office to finish the will and look at the possibilities as far as inheritance. As far as it was set up James was supposed to receive most of it, for at the time his brother John, my uncle, was still young and it was unknown if he would survive his child hood. (A/N: I don't have any info on his brother John so if somebody knows about it please inform me about it asap). This inheritance included the ranch and most homely possessions, including a decent sum of money from the estate. His brother John was supposed to receive a bit of land and a sum of money, for being at his young age. The land that was promised to James was about 1000 acres, mostly large pastured plains that would have been very inexpensive to purchase at the time and also incredibly large compared to the other ranches of the period averaging only about 200 acres at the most. The amount of money that was left for him was pretty significant too, being in the range of about 3 million dollars. Of course this present amount has grown over the past years due to interest and nothing significant has been removed from the estate due to funds coming in from rent for property usage leaving the principal amount to grow. To tell you the truth I had no idea my family was this well off before they died so it was all a bonus in my mind. Leaving the ranch was a bit hard for my father, even though he just remembered it, it was as if he already spent an eternity there and could never leave. We had our long ride ahead of us back to New York but surprisingly everyone was quiet, maybe it was the whole truth being revealed thing that made people think, I don't know but I can tell you my head was on overdrive still trying to comprehend how my father could change so significantly during his life. He was a young, rich, and part of a respected family, then he became a rugged bushman then finally a sentimental, and confused warrior. Almost like the master less samurai of Japanese legend. Maybe there was a chance that he would shed his fighting ways and become the refined gentleman that he was supposed to back when he was a child, but I think that would be one of the very last things on his list. So now we had a lot of our answers but new ones had come up, like what would we do with the inheritance? Or even what would we do with the ranch? But the most dominant one in my mind anyway was who was my uncle? John Jr., my father's brother was out there somewhere dead or possibly even alive, we didn't know but I sure wanted to. It was more like I needed to, I have found my father and his family but where is the rest of mine. I was curious to know if the professor could dig something out of my father's head that would help us look for him. 


	6. A Relationship Blossoms

Family Forgotten  
  
Chapter 6: A Relationship Blossoms  
  
Getting back to the mansion we found the professor eager to talk with us about our search, my father began by informing him about the estate and our reclamation of the home and land around it. He became intrigued when my father explained Creed's happenings in all of this and how their feud evolved over time to even have them forget the true cause of it all. We had begun to wonder what had come of my uncle but we soon realized the search would be fruitless for the chances of him being alive were slim to none. Concluding the search we were glad to know that we still found some of the secrets to our family's past, I could just hope that we would live to build a future.  
  
As for life around the mansion, it slowed down. We were coming to the time were some of my better friends around the mansion were beginning to graduate and move on with their lives, some others decided to stay behind and become instructors in the training fields that they excelled in. Even thought I was like a father to most of them, not only in age but in experience as well they were still friends to me and would forever be in my memories. Like I mentioned some had decided to stay behind and become instructors, like Scott, Jean, Kittie, and Rouge. The Professor in his aging years was happy to have them around, not only for help, but for personal company as well. The usual people stayed like Hank, Ororo, and my father Logan and the sound of wedding bells could be heard in the distance as my father and Ororo announced that they would be tying the knot not too long in the distant future.  
  
My duties around the mansion had taken on roles of more academic purposes as I became the head history teacher and I also took on a class of physical education alongside my father. As usual Ororo took on her role in science, Kittie had her art class, Xavier had his English class, Jean enjoyed music, and Scott held mechanics. Rouge got one of the better jobs though she got to do survival training with the greater bunch of them. Of course my father always had that spot but Ororo wanted to keep a close eye on him so that he couldn't run off and leave the mansion for months at a time, hey I couldn't blame her I have the same habit and it could be a bit of a change for me to be hanging around the mansion for a year or two straight. To tell you the truth it felt weird to have a place to call your home, I mean I know that I have survived all this time in the woods but that wasn't a true home for you had to move due to seasonal changes and you couldn't settle down or unwanted guests could arrive at your doorstep. But the irony of it was that they had found me anyway. It's funny that fate has loops like this for a person to jump through, I went through a significant lows to get to where I am now and that is far better than what I had before back in the woods. I've found my father and learned about my true beginnings.  
  
. . .  
  
"Okay today class we are learning about the significance of World War Two," I explained to my student body of twenty. "Of course everybody should have heard about this war and at least know something about it right?"  
  
What I got from the students were the usual answers, Hitler.the Jews.the holocaust.Pearl Harbor.General Patton.D-Day. I was impressed our history was actually sinking in to their minds, not just skimming off and fading in to a useless amount of nothing. Pulling up a map of Western Europe I began to show the students on the board some of the significant points during the war itself. Pulling up a map of the camps over all over Europe, they were astonished to see how many there were.  
  
"As you can see there were dozens of camps all over the occupied areas of Germany, but the first death camp was also the most popular. Its name was Auschwitz, there stood a vile and disturbing hellhole." I started a bit shakily but from beside me came a voice.  
  
"And you spent time there right?" the voice asked.  
  
"Huh?" I questioned, turning to my side to find Kitty in the doorway. "Yeah, I was a guard for two years," I told them weakly.  
  
Kitty and I had grown closer over the past couple of months and I knew if I needed her for anything she could be there to help me, she was a dear and loyal friend, everybody needs those, and I was glad to have her.  
  
Then another voice this time from the class, "you helped the Germans?"  
  
"Let me explain. Back in the late 30's I was coming more and more out of the mountains and moving into town so I could openly barter for goods. Someone drug me into a recruiting office and basically forced me in to the forces. When I went overseas I had landed in France and detached from the groups of soldiers. I left them and went through and began to learn the languages in hopes of avoiding the war. German was the easiest to pick up and I caught on early, having good pronunciation and verbal skills. Passing for a German citizen was easy and I could walk through any town and not get a second glance," I told them.  
  
"How could you pick it up that fast, German sounds so different from English?" a student asked.  
  
"Actually English is derived from German, so there are quite a few words that are the same. But as I was saying, one day while moving through one of the industrial towns in the Ruhr I ended up saving a young worker from falling equipment. A SS soldier saw me and brought me to his officer. From there I was given a position and I held up pretty well. To tell you the truth I was in luxury, I got my three square meals a day and not long hours so we were well rested. Then came the time when I was stationed, I was sent out into the countryside where I came across a camp. Going into the center of the camp you are met by an arch with steel gates guarding the entrance. A single rail line went in but didn't leave. I was stationed at the front of one of the barrack entrances in which the prisoners stayed. For the next two years I witness hundreds of executions and mass murders, but like my officials told me it was for the better of Nazi Germany. The smell of the burning, and rotting corpses." I began as my eyes started to fill with tears and I had to leave the room.  
  
I had to get out, this was a part of my past that I wanted so much not to be a part of. The killing of all those people, the children, and the elderly. I WAS A PART OF IT!!! I secluded to my room in the mansion, and poured my heart out here on my bed. I could never have thought that anything could hurt a person so much as this. I remembered a young Polish boy however that was just developing his mutant powers, his parents left him at the gate and as the other guards tried to drag him away then something he did bent the gates down moving them into a twisted pile of metal. I had little contact with him before I fled the camp about a year before it ea liberated. I just truly wondered if that young boy got out or even lived to get out. Just then came a knock at the door snapping me out of my train of thought.  
  
"Yes?" I asked.  
  
"Are you alright?" the soft voice asked. "Can I come in?"  
  
"Yeah, come on in," I told the voice.  
  
In walked Kitty, I wasn't surprised it was her but I was glad it was not one of the students for none of them needed to see me like this. She came over to the bed and put her arm around me, in honest truth it felt comforting.  
  
"Sorry about bringing that up. You could have changed the subject and completely avoided those horrid memories," she told me.  
  
"I don't know, maybe it just needed to come out. Of course that's only one of the things that I've done that I would like to forget. It seems like every time I walked out of that damn forest something had to happen that could never work in my favor," I explained shifting a bit. "It happened back in 1914 and again in 1939, man why does shit like this happen."  
  
"Hey! You made it here didn't you?" she said looking me in the eyes.  
  
"That's true," I replied.  
  
"Think about all the good you can do here, you're practically a walking history textbook," she said giggling a bit.  
  
"Now that's not funny, I'm not that old!" I told her wiping a tear from my eye.  
  
"Please, you're what? 104, 105,"  
  
"NO! I'm only 103. So what if I have a few miles on me, I'm still in showroom condition,"  
  
"Yeah, yeah think whatever you want it shows," she said slyly poking my gut.  
  
"Whatever, prove it," I taunted her.  
  
"War medallions, battle scars, company tattoos, the military attitude and discipline methods. You're just like your father."  
  
"Ok, you got me, I'm old so what?" I asked her.  
  
"Eh, nothing. Come on lets go for a ride it'll make you feel better."  
  
"Yeah why not, it would be good to get out for a bit," I told her walking out of the room to the garage calling out to Scott at the last moment to tell him we were taking his car.  
  
We left the mansion and headed down through the streets of Bayville and out along the coast, we didn't have to cruise fast but it just felt good to drive. After a while Kitty was getting a bit hungry and I had to admit so was I. Driving up Main Street we stopped at a little café and ordered up some sandwiches. I went to pick them up and I got the sudden urge to look to my side, and there sat and old man about the age of eighty, who was looking right at me with this look of astonishment in his eyes. It was if he just found a long lost friend or something.  
  
"You there son look very familiar to me," he said getting my full attention.  
  
"Really?" I questioned taking a seat across from him. "Who do I remind you of, that is if you don't mind telling me."  
  
"Oh not at all, this man's name was Jack Howlett a young Canadian boy. We found him wandering around West Germany during the war. He was dressed in a German uniform and we gladly picked him up." as he continued it became clear to me this was the same guy that first got to know me when the group found me, his name was Ben Morris. "Of course we had to question him and do a thorough search to make sure he was one of ours."  
  
Not thinking I interrupted him, "Ben Morris, I didn't recognize you at first but I never forget a friendly face."  
  
Of course he was very taken back by this, and in that time Kitty had come over from the table we were at and sat down with us. He just looked at me and I could do nothing but smile.  
  
"You can't be. there is no way in heaven nor hell that you could be the same guy. Definitely related but for sure not the same guy," he spoke, carefully looking at my face, studying it in hopes he could find a flaw to call me a phony.  
  
"Ben I have to tell you something, I remember that day like the back of my hand because I was just hoping an one of our guys would be by to give me a lift. And you guys were the only guys for nearly a day and a half," I told him. "I remember sitting across from you in the back of that half track and sharing a cigarette telling each other about our homes back before we were called in."  
  
"Ok if you are who you say you are, then I must have told you about a condition I have," covering his shaking hand and trying to hide his quivering leg  
  
Of course I remembered that one, "you have Parkinson's,"  
  
"Yeah but where did it start?"  
  
"It started just after a bombing raid in Berlin in your right hand. You though you just had the jitters but I told you to go see the M.O and he told you about the disease," I told him. "Come on Ben you know it's me and I'm just as surprised to see you just as you are to see me."  
  
"But how, did you find the fountain of youth or something?" he questioned.  
  
"No, I'm a mutant. I have been from the day I was born which was back just before 1900,"  
  
"Really? But how does that increase your longevity?" he asked.  
  
"I, like my father have a heightened healing factor which means that we can heal much faster than other people. Simple cuts heal in a matter of seconds; bullet wounds in minutes, and larger ones take around a day or two. The reason why I have retained my youth is because in the human body when new cells grow they are not completely new there is always that bit of wear in each one that increases with age. My mutation on the other hand takes the new cells and heals them so that they are brand new from the start, there is no preliminary wear in them," I explained.  
  
"Incredible, oh by the way I forgot to ask who is this young lady with you?"  
  
"This is Kitty," I told him.  
  
"She your daughter?"  
  
"ME? Hell no. If I was his daughter I doubt I could have lived this long putting up with his antics," she said poking me in the ribs.  
  
"Hey I'm not that bad," I told her taking her finger out of my ribs and placing it on the table.  
  
It was then I got this look in her eye, I couldn't tell what it was but it was different than really anything that I had seen before. We finished talking and then left the café and Ben, I told him that he could drop by the institute whenever he wanted so that we could talk about old times. He said that he would really enjoy it and that was where we went our separate ways. Kitty and I got out to the car and I opened the door for her and then it happened she casually walked up and just kissed me, it was brief but I was speechless. She simply put on a smile and sat there waiting for me to get in, I walked around the car and hopped in the driver's seat still in a bit of shock. We left the center of the city and moved out into the countryside heading back to the mansion. She sat there calm and relaxed and listened to the radio while I drove Scott's car hard around the corners, coming over the last few hills to the gate of the mansion. We pulled into the garage and we got out, I had this strange feeling it was if I had a stone in my gut and I thought why the hell not. Kitty was just about to enter the house when I lightly touched her arm.  
  
"Kitty?" I softly called to her.  
  
"Yes?" she questioned back turning to face me.  
  
It was then I went for it and brought her close to me, giving her a light kiss on the lips. There was an odd pause before anything happened and I wasn't really sure if I had done the right thing or not. Bu then she simply smiled at me.  
  
"Took ya long enough," she noted slyly, pulling away and heading back into the house.  
  
I was dumbfounded, I mean, I knew that we were close but I didn't think that she had wanted to go farther or even had the intention to. I headed inside and threw the car keys to Scott. I needed to find my father he would have an idea on how to handle this. I mean his wife or his future wife I should say could be his grandchild so he's in the same boat I could be in. 


	7. The Proposal

Family Forgotten  
  
Chapter 7: The Proposal  
  
Have to admit that this felt weird, putting Kitty and I in a relationship would not only be different but I don't know how the others would take it. I know that my father and Ororo are going to get married but she is also in her thirties and Kitty is only in her twenties. Oh well I will have to see how he would deal with it and then decide what to do. I found my father out in the danger room training with the machines alongside Colossus. They were working hard keeping the weapons at bay but they were winning. The two of them were working in tag team, Colossus would take care of the equipment on the floor level while he would launch my father out to take on the higher weaponry. I could see from the window in the door that it was going well until one of the tentacles from the wall snuck up behind them and grabbed Colossus by the ankle. My father went to go and cut it but another caught him around the waist and held his arms while one of the laser guns took aim. The main door cannot be opened from the outside during a session so I unsheathed my claws and cut a large hole in the steel paneling of the door. I kept asking myself why the room wouldn't stop, there was a safety feature installed for a situation just in case someone could be killed by one of the machines. I finally got in and ran toward my father and Colossus in the center of the room, they were they bound in the center of the room with the one gun charging up an attack. I had two choices my father or the gun, I chose the gun and went for it as it blasted a shot nailing me right in the center of my chest.  
  
"JACK!!!" my father cried as I flew back across the room making a dent in the far wall falling to the floor unconscious.  
  
. . .  
  
I awoke sometime later I was in a hospital bed in the medical wing of the mansion, tied to other machines and such. My body still ached, more so at base of my tail. Checking behind I looked to find that it was gone! I was probably out for about a day or so, so they must have removed it. I sat up a bit and watched as Hank walked in through the doors to come and check up on me.  
  
"Oh, you're awake I figured you be out for a bit longer than that," hank told me holding a chart.  
  
"How long have I been out?" I asked him swinging out over the bed. "Where are the others, better yet. How are the others?"  
  
"Well about three days actually. That crash into the wall you took dented your adamantium spine and we needed to do a little surgery to correct it," he informed me checking the monitors. "You know you had Kitty and Logan both really freaked out by this little incident but they will be fine. Scott had come down and was able to help them before anybody got seriously hurt."  
  
"Really? My father actually concerned about someone that's a first," I said to him chuckling a bit. "Don't get me wrong I'm still happy that no one was injured. And oh by the way why did you remove my tail?"  
  
"When you hit the wall your tail was crushed and too badly damaged for your body to heal so we removed it while we fixed your back. We also pulled up a scan and you and found something really remarkable."  
  
"What's that? Am I going to grow my tail back naturally or something?" I questioned jokingly.  
  
"Well almost," hank said passing me the clipboard.  
  
"What? What are you talking about?" I asked taking the clipboard from his hands.  
  
"Your body somehow rejuvenated and produced new forms of the X gene in your body..."  
  
"So I might have another mutation, is what you're telling me," I said cutting him off.  
  
"That is if it doesn't stay dormant," he added pulling up a chair.  
  
"But how can my body produce new genes. That's all within my blood and I couldn't change it unless I was developing right from the beginning again."  
  
"That's true, but we will take it with a grain of salt and continue from there. So far I think it might be because of the loss of your tail that might have affected it, having your body so used to it might have altered your DNA and triggered the growth of a new one. But I suggest you get dressed and meet up with the professor. I'm positive he would like to meet with you about this," Hank told me walking off.  
  
I gathered my things a headed up stairs to the Professor's office over in the far wing of the school section of the mansion. The hallways were cold, but then again it could have been just me. I moved onward slowly stepping through the door to the elevator and there was Kitty waiting for me.  
  
"Jack!" she yelled jumping into my arms.  
  
"Nice to see you too Kitty," I told her setting her down.  
  
"Don't you ever do that to me again! You could have been killed you know that!" she told me sternly.  
  
"Yeah but at least I got there before my father was cooked."  
  
"That's true...but still. Just don't do that again! Ok! You scared the shit out of me!" she went on embracing me in a hug.  
  
"Kitty..." I began as she looked up at me. "I'm sorry," I told her giving her a kiss and leading her over to the elevator.  
  
"By the way what do you think about not having your tail anymore?" she asked placing her hand where it used to be.  
  
"It'll be different but I think I'll be able to get over it," I told her walking on.  
  
From there we went up and walked about the mansion allowing me to stretch out a bit. A thought lingered in my mind though while we were moving about the halls in the house, why hadn't the equipment stopped for my father and Colossus. Who was in the control booth while they fought? I thought I should have a look up there before anything and see what was up. Kitty and I made our way over to the school section of the mansion and walked to the far end of the hall were the Professor's office was located. Stepping through the door he seemed pleased to see Kitty and I.  
  
"Hello there Jack, I'm glad to see that you're feeling better and you have compensated with the loss of your tail."  
  
"Thank you Professor, but not having a tail will take some time to get used to but I think I will manage," I told him taking a seat.  
  
"Good the great to hear but we have to get on to business. About the new X-genes in you blood. We will have to monitor them closely considering that we don't know what will come of them and how your body will react to two mutating bodies within yourself," he told me. "So I am going to give you this..." he hands me a watch "...It is a monitor tuned to your genes. If one of your new X-genes becomes active it will alert you and then we will find something to do about it."  
  
"Thank you Professor," I told him taking the watch and strapping to my wrist.  
  
"Your welcome now lets get back to a normal day shall we," he tells me going back to his computer.  
  
"What's normal around here?" I ask him jokingly walking out of the room with Kitty in hand leaving the Professor to laugh to himself.  
  
Just outside the room we found Kurt moving about with Rogue close at hand talking about my accident. "Oh Jack I see you are up."  
  
"Yeah just had a talk with the professor about my new X-genes," I informed them.  
  
"What the Professor is going to start a clothing line or something?" Rogue questioned seeming confused.  
  
"No, my X-genes the ones that allow me to heal and sustain my heightened senses."  
  
"Oh those genes. Did you just say that you have NEW ONES?" she questioned looking at me funny.  
  
"Yeah somehow when I was recovering new ones were produced and I may have a new mutation. But so far they are dormant and we are watching them to see when or if they are event going to become active," I told the two of them.  
  
"You know that is a little weird. I mean your first mutation may have caused a second," Kurt says picking a dirt clod off the tip of his tail. "Yeah word got around that your tail had to be removed eh."  
  
"Yeah, I know but like I've been telling everyone else I will get over it," I told the blue acrobat. "Well we better be off, I'm hungry as hell and I still need to speak with my father so I guess we'll see you guys around?"  
  
"I guess so. Oh by the way what did the professor say to your new blood thingies?" Rouge asked.  
  
"Well we're going to keep an eye on them. If these new genes go active he'll know about them."  
  
"Oh ok, well I guess we'll see you guys later then,"  
  
"Yeah see ya."  
  
From there we went our separate ways and I had soon made my way down into the kitchen were I started to swallow almost any edible item that was placed in front of my face. And coincidentally ninety percent of that food made it back up due to the shrinkage of my stomach. To tell you the truth I wasn't sure Kitty was amused or either sickened by what I had made of the food. But give or take an hour later I was satisfied and my stomach could have never been bigger. Coincidently my father happened to walk through the door as we were about to leave.  
  
"Ungh, Kitty would you excuse us for a bit, I'd like to have a word with my father in private if I would please?" I asked her.  
  
"Yeah sure I'll just be outside if you need me," she replied stepping through and out the door.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"So kiddo what do you need to talk to me about?" my father asked as I shut the door and walked over to sit at the table.  
  
"Well it is about the whole me and Kitty thing. To tell you the truth I really don't know how to take it considering the age difference between the two of us," I explained to him.  
  
"Yeah I know just how you feel but look at it this way you will just have to make a choice on the matter. Between Ororo and I we have thought it as a simple matter of do we really care for each other? We do, so we went further and started planning our wedding. You have to ask yourself that same question kid, do you love her?"  
  
"Yes I do. We've been there for each other for the longest of times I wouldn't think of it any other way."  
  
"Well then does the age thing bother you now, now that you yourself can say that you love this girl?" he asked looking at his son square in the eye.  
  
"No, it doesn't bother me anymore..." I said slowly.  
  
"There you go then, there is nothing wrong," he said sitting back in his seat. "How long have you been seeing each other?"  
  
"Well, officially it has only been about a week or so but we have been close now for the past couple months," I informed him.  
  
"Well then I would give it some more time before you go jumping into a marriage proposal, I mean I know that you feel this way about her but you should really just give it some more time and that way you can be sure that she is really the one and only for you," Logan told me getting up from his chair and moving to the fridge for something to drink.  
  
"How long would you recommend?" I asked him as he drew a beer from a hidden compartment in the fridge.  
  
"You know I think if you gave it say a year then you might have a better idea as to what you are looking at. Oh this might seem a little off topic but uh, what did Charles want to talk to you about?"  
  
"Oh when I got banged up there those couple days ago you guys removed my tail and then when you ran another scan for damages they found that there were dormant forms of the x gene in my DNA. Long story short, I might have another mutation occurring," I told him as he stood there silent.  
  
"Well if they have been there all a long they shouldn't be doing anything, they will stay that way up till you die."  
  
"Well not true, a lot of the mutations that happen are sudden and they just happen. But there are others that kick in during high periods of stress say during an injury or emotional stress," I informed him getting up and walking to the door.  
  
"Well I know that the professor will be watching you like a hawk, just so nothing serious happens to you."  
  
"Yeah he gave me this monitor that will watch the genes in my body and it will relay a signal to him when something happens."  
  
"Good cause this is a serious matter and we need nothing happening to ya," he said finishing off his beer tossing the can into the trash bin beside him.  
  
From there we left this little discussion between the two of us and I watched and anxiously awaited the day when I could ask the woman I loved for her hand in marriage. The fear of my mutation slowly went away, as I began to focus on my new student body and what they were going to learn in the up and coming semesters. Seasons changed and times were quiet as we began to grow and more people began to accept us as people and not abominations. In fact there was a hearing to allow for mutant based content to enter the media and by a slim margin we got it.  
  
It was a quiet Sunday afternoon and there were a few people watching tv while other students were off staying with their parents over the weeklong Easter break. Kitty and I were doing great and now the professor had allowed us to have a single bedroom on the other side of the dorm so we were now staying with each other and we were really enjoying ourselves. Yes I know what you're thinking can a man of my age really have great sex, I don't know you should really ask her about that. And guess what the answer is rhetorical. But that is beside the point, her and I were going to have a quiet diner just for the two of us and I think then is the time that I will propose.  
  
As for the day it drug itself out which was nice because I wanted time to prepare the meal and set up the dining area. I used some of the mansion's finer china and cooked a beautiful steak dinner with peas and mashed potatoes with a loaf of crisp and buttered French bread. Also accompanying the meal there was a light garden salad with a nice vinaigrette dressing. The excuse for cooking the meal was that I hadn't done this in a while and that I though it would be a nice happening for the evening. We put on some nice clean clothes and made our way down to the dining room, as I opened the doors she couldn't believe her eyes at what lay before her on the table. The room was candle lit and a light aroma of the meal awaiting filled the room and our noses.  
  
"You were right we haven't done this for a while."  
  
"I know that's kind of the reason I went over the top and made this one extra special," I told her pulling out a chair of her.  
  
"No kidding this is extra special there aren't many times where you will make a large meal like this just for the two of us...there are just two of us right? Right?" she questioned comically.  
  
"Yes, I was just in the mood for cooking so that's what I did, I cooked."  
  
"Oh...Well fine by me," she said as I laid her napkin across her thighs.  
  
Pulling up a seat next to her we began our meal and the food was great, I even surprised myself at how well I had cooked this meal. Soon enough we were just talking and enjoying each other's company when I decided to go for it. Acting clumsy, which wasn't too far from the ordinary, I made it look as if I dropped a spoon on the floor. Getting out of my seat I went to go pick it up. Kneeling there I began...  
  
"You know, I have a question to ask you," I said calmly and bluntly as I retrieved the spoon but didn't rise to my feet.  
  
"Oh yeah, well shoot," she said looking down at me.  
  
"Well...Katherine Pryde would you do me the honor of being my wife?"  
  
She was speechless, she couldn't talk, even as I drew the ring from my coat pocket she still couldn't talk. Holding the ring up for her to see she finally was able to squeak those few words out...  
  
"Holy shit, of course I will," she said holding her hand out.  
  
I then took her hand and slid the ring into place, it was like magic. The tears slowly began to swell in her eyes as I got up slowly and gave her a light kiss, one that would surely be remembered for the rest of our lives.  
  
"Oh thank you Jack, I couldn't have imagined a more perfect place," she said still crying.  
  
"Your welcome, now how about we tell the others shall we?"  
  
"Oh not yet, you and I have some business we have to attend to first."  
  
"Oh and what could that be?" I asked as all she had to do was point up and I immediately got the message. "Right! That first, then we tell the others, I gotcha."  
  
From here I won't go into any details but to make a long story short...it was a looong evening. 


	8. Rebirth a Legend is Born

Family Forgotten  
Chapter 8: Rebirth a Legend is Born  
  
So I proposed, cool eh? To tell you the truth Kitty couldn't have been any happier. News of our engagement spread quickly and soon Ororo and my father proposed that we hold our weddings on the same day, not only would it cut down on cost but we wouldn't have to hold two ceremonies. Kitty and I were thrilled and accepted their offer. Up to this point I was glad to say that my X-genes had still remained inactive and that I didn't expect them to do anything anytime soon.  
  
I awoke one morning to find the bright sunlight of the early morning cascading through our window into the mansion, it was warm and comforting as I gently placed Kitty's arm from upon my waist back onto the warm impression in the bed that my weighty body made from a good night's rest. Tossing on a pair of slacks I quietly made my way out of the room and down the stairs into the foyer of the mansion only to find that someone was already awake and sitting quietly gazing dimly out of the window before them into the courtyard. I could tell from the distinctive wheelchair and lack of hair that it could be none other than that of the professor sitting before me.  
  
"Good morning Jack, how was your evening?" he asked without even turning his head to look.  
  
"Good morning to you too professor I take it you slept alright," I deducted taking a seat on the windowsill so that I could face him.  
  
"Oh it wasn't that bad, but something has been troubling me though," he noted pulling up closer to the window.  
  
"Really? What is it?" I asked. "That is if you wouldn't mind sharing."  
  
"Well it's Magnus, you know of how I was able to help him forget about the mutant and human battles and show him to our side?"  
  
"Yeah what of it?"  
  
"Well I got a call from him not long ago, he wanted to show me a project that he had been working on, but I grow uneasy because it was also not long ago that Mystique went rogue and has tried her hardest to dispose of us, permanently," he informed me.  
  
"You believe that she will try something if you go?"  
  
"Yes it is a possibility," he mentioned now turning from the window and slowly making his way towards his office. "I am going to go and meet with him but I want a few people to come with me. I was thinking you, Logan, and possibly Scott as well just to be safe."  
  
"Sounds good to me, when do we leave?" I asked seeming anxious to go.  
  
"Well I think we'll leave later today and we'll make it out to Siberia early tomorrow morning," he told me.  
  
"Sure thing do you want me to tell the others or do you want to do that yourself?" I questioned.  
  
"You can do that, I'll get hank to help stock the Blackbird for our flight," and with that he left and I was left to my own devices.  
  
I jogged to the kitchen to find that Scott and Kitty were up and eating so I decided no time was better for me to explain our little trip. The way I looked at it I knock out three birds with one stone, I could talk to Scott, I could talk to Kitty, and I could eat!  
  
"Morning guys, how was your sleep?" I asked the two of them as they grabbed plates of food.  
  
"Not bad honey, I take it you slept well."  
  
"Yeah I was fine," I told Kitty giving her a kiss. "How about you Scott?"  
  
"Wasn't bad but I got a bit of a kink in my neck, I think that I slept on it a bit funny," he replied taking a seat at the table.  
  
"That's good to hear. When I got up this morning I found the professor at the window, after chatting with him he informed me that, Scott, you and I, plus Logan will be going with him to Siberia to se what latest gadget Magneto has been cooking up," I told him grabbing a plate of grub.  
  
"Why are all three of us going with, usually he just takes Hank?" he asked me.  
  
"Well I guess since Mystique went A.W.O.L it's got him spooked so he just needs a bit of insurance," I informed him taking a bite of the rock hard toast. "By the way who's turn was it to cook this morning?"  
  
"Ugh, I think it was Rogue's turn," Kitty replied taking a forkful of eggs only to pull bits of eggshell from her teeth.  
  
"Sorry to say but that girl can't cook," I stated as I picked up my plate and dumped it into the trash.  
  
"Agreed," said the other two as they were quick to follow.  
  
From there the day went just as planned as I informed my father about the trip and he reluctantly agreed. Hank, Logan, and myself finished loading the gear as Scott programmed the flight computer for our remote destination into the barren regions of Siberia. We were just finishing up and getting ready to board when Kitty came out into the hanger for one last goodbye and to see us off.  
  
"Hey don't think that you're going to get away that easily," she told me throwing her arms around my neck, pulling my face down to hers and laying a big one on my lips before letting go and pushing me up the stairway into the cockpit of the plane. "Now you boys go have fun alright."  
  
"Sure thing honey see you in a couple days, love ya."  
  
"Love ya!" she called back before running out of the launch area.  
  
I took my seat in the plane and buckled up, it was only then that I turned to find my father sitting beside me giving me that look of disbelief.  
  
"What?" I asked him.  
  
"Oh nothing, nothing, it's just that I would have never taken you as the lovey dovey sort of person," he informed me. "Gezsh I'm never like that."  
  
"Sure, what ever, say all that you want. But I can say that I have seen it with my own eyes between you and Ororo, she does the exact same thing with you and you enjoy it," I noted to him.  
  
"WHAT!!! No, not me, never," he exclaimed almost taking offense to it.  
  
"I'm not going to go any further with this just for the sake that you will deny it till the bitter end and I will have to resort to video footage just to prove you wrong."  
  
"Now with that little moment behind us, do you two mind if we actually get off the ground now," noted the professor as he fired the engines sending us hurtling out of the long mountainside hanger.  
  
From New York we went East out towards the coasts of Europe and on into the vast lands of Russia. The flight was long but comfortable; we had full rations and the autopilot worked like a dream. For the ten hours that it took us to get there, we did quite well at least we kept ourselves occupied. You would not believe how many rounds of poker you can get in over ten hours.  
  
. . .  
  
As we entered Russian airspace we stayed low just over the tops of trees that way we wouldn't be picked up on radar and be mistaken for a military aircraft. Our scope was quick to pick up the latest of Magneto's bases as the large steel dome stuck out of the cold dense landscape before us. Scott gently set the Blackbird down near the base and shut down the primary systems. Just looking beyond I noted to the others as a round port in the side of the dome began to open and a single man appeared from within, it could be none other that him, Magneto. Swiftly we made our way down the ramp to face him...  
  
"Ah Charles so nice of you to drop by, I see that you have brought a few friends over with you, Logan, Scott, Jack nice to see you again," he said approaching the plane.  
  
"It's good to see you as well Magnus, how have you been holding up?" Xavier asked making his way to the bottom of the ramp.  
  
"Oh not too bad, here let me help you with that," he noted picking both the professor and his chair up allowing them to coast just over the snow.  
  
"Thank you," Xavier noted as the rest of us followed the two of them into the dome.  
  
The structure was vast and well spaced allowing ample room for his experiments and living quarters. Escorting us inside he brought us into the main hall where there sat the creation that the professor had mentioned. Looking to my father and Scott there were both in awe but my father had a growing look of concern upon his face as I could tell he knew what the machine was.  
  
"Hey dad, what's wrong? It looks like you already know what this thing is," I asked him as we followed the two of them.  
  
"Yeah I do, I seen this thing back in the war. The Americans designed it and used it to create an artificial mutant," he explained to me.  
  
"Oh yeah who?" I asked him.  
  
"His name was Captain America, he was a result of the rebirth project. Before the project he was a normal human, extremely patriotic, but normal. Once they cycled him through that tank it changed his DNA and gave him special abilities, but the machine had a downside it caused massive cellular decay, dramatically shortening the person's life span in the process. After him and I did a tour in Europe he collapsed into a coma and in a hope to save him he was cryogenically frozen," he told me as we approached the open chamber.  
  
"So what is this little creation of yours Magnus?" asked Charles.  
  
"Well it's called the rebirth machine, it was a world war two relic that I discovered a few years back and that was what allowed me to return to my younger self," he said standing by the computer console and setting the machine up.  
  
"So what happened to the other one?" questioned Xavier.  
  
"Yours truly over there blew it up," Magnus replied pointing to my father.  
  
"Then why rebuild it?" Xavier asked looking it over.  
  
"Because I would like you to go through it like I had done years ago just before the other one was destroyed," he explained showing Xavier to the tall vertical cylinder.  
  
"I wouldn't do it Chuck, I seen a good friend of mine get really messed up from sitting in that thing," my father insisted.  
  
"But what if it works dad?" I questioned taking a closer look at the containment cylinder.  
  
It was then that the lights went out and we heard a dark chuckle. Then my father and I both caught scent of her, it was Mystique. I have to admit when it came to espionage and sabotage that she could teach even the greatest of spies how to perform their jobs. Removing my glasses I was able to get a decent look around the room unfortunately I couldn't see her as she must have taken the form of something else.  
  
"Jack can you see her?" Charles asked as I scanned the room.  
  
"Unfortunately no, I can't smell much of her either. What about you dad, can you get anything?" I asked.  
  
"I'm out of luck as well, hey chuck can't you reach her telepathically?" Logan asked.  
  
"I can try," he noted as he began to concentrate. "It's strange I can't pick up anything she must be wearing something that can block my thoughts."  
  
"I thought one of my helmets went missing, she must have duplicated the design and then returned the original," Magnus said.  
  
Then from out of nowhere came a crash as Scott was sent flying back into one of the far walls. It was then I seen her, she was using the cover of the crates around the room blocking my view of her form as she slunk around the room slowly getting closer and closer. Then suddenly everything went quiet as the lights and power came back on and we were left questioning what had just happened.  
  
"Logan go check to see if Scott is alright," said the professor.  
  
"Why would she do something like this, if she were smart she would have left the power off and kept attacking," I noted replacing my glasses and scanning the room.  
  
"I don't know Wolf, but I think the rebirth machine has something to do with it," Magnus noted.  
  
It was then that a cloaked figure came from amidst nowhere and in the process of attacking the professor and Magnus, knocked my backwards into the rebirth machine's tube.  
  
"Aw shit!" I exclaimed as I looked to find the door to the booth locked shut and the command console coming to life.  
  
"Jack get out of there!" yelled the professor. "Magnus shut the machine off."  
  
"You can't it's automatically set to run the duration of the program," he noted as a buzzer sounded just before the process activated.  
  
The machine kicked in just as I was about to punch the glass tube, a bright white light filled the tube and the room as I felt a constant warmth move over me lasting for the duration of a minute. Aside from the hum of the rebirth machine I heard another alarm as I looked down to find that my monitor was going off and my X-genes had become active. Finally the machine finished it's cycle and it released me from its confining pillar of glass. I tumbled outward, falling to my knees, a defining pain wretched as my gut as all I could do was curl into a ball and hope for it to quit.  
  
"Jack, Mystique fled are you alright?" I heard the professor ask.  
  
"No...X-genes...went active...triggered by the machine," was all I could bear to squeak out as more pain flooded my body.  
  
All over I could feel things moving around inside of me as my change continued, bones popped and muscles stretched as looked down to find my knees changing shape, they began to shift and move as they began to bend the other way. Next was my feet as my toes extended and my whole foot lengthened. Next was my upper body as I began to feel my spine stretch outward and grow becoming more flexible, it was then that my pelvic bone shifted and a new tail appeared in place of my old one. Seconds felt like hours as my change proceeded, I kept getting mental and verbal support from my father and Xavier as my mind kept trying to subdue the pain. I then felt my neck stretch out and then my jaw boast outward forming a long snout, I then could feel my ears stretch and pull standing upright and tall. From there I gave up I couldn't handle any more and I just blacked out into unconsciousness...  
  
. . .  
  
From my peaceful slumber I awoke, pulling my body up off the bed and thrashing outward along with a feral growl the escaped along with it. It was then that I stopped and looked around, I was back in the mansion, but in the medical wing. I had not realized that the sound that I heard was from my throat until I noticed that I was the only one here, in the dark and alone. Not really looking I took the sensors from my body and the I.v from my wrist. Maybe what had happened to me back there was just a dream and I didn't really mutate into some deformed creature, but it was then when I went to wipe my eyes that I noticed my face was different. Slowly, foot-by-foot I made my way over to the bathroom, where I knew there would be a mirror. Clicking on the light I was disturbed by the sight that was before me I was staring right into the eyes of a blue wolf. The only part I recognized was my polished eyes that remained in my large skull even after the change. I collapsed to the floor and brought my hands to my face, they were bigger and each of the five digits had what appeared to be an adamantium claw on the tip of it. I just broke down, how could this happen to me, what did I ever deserve to gain this type of punishment. I honestly couldn't tell you how long I was there, just sitting on the floor crying to myself but I felt it was a while. It was then that I heard my name being called, it was a bit distant but it was just out from the hall, they must have heard my whimpers and decided that they better look into my welfare.  
  
"Jack...Jack honey, are you alright?" I heard a voice ask as a hand gently touched my face.  
  
"Kitty is that you?" I asked in return not looking past my own brutish hands.  
  
"Yes...yes I'm here everything is going to be alright. Just stay calm, we seen your heart monitor jump then go dead so we got down here as quick as possible," she told me embracing me in a hug, I let go long enough to wrap my own arms around her and we just sat there in silence as I cried but I she also shed tears as I felt them delicately drop onto my shoulder. 


	9. New Discoveries of a Doubting Mind

A/N: Hello there I am proud of my readers for sticking with me this long, it has been a long road for Jack and the others. But not to worry for this shall be the second last chapter of the series. I am reaching the end of the story and the last chapter could be anything, long or short, so I hope you have enjoyed my work.  
  
Family Forgotten  
  
Chapter 9: New Discoveries of a Doubting Mind  
  
"I cannot believe what has happened, it seems like a curse from above how it has come down and crushed my hopes of remaining an unknown mutant. I could sense when Kitty tried to comfort me that night, that she had an uncertainty to her, whether she should be near me at all. I can't blame her look at me, I'm not human I'm a seven foot, bipedal wolf with adamantium claws and a human consciousness," I told myself as the main elevator transported me down into the bowels of the mansion.  
  
I was off to see Hank, about my new form and what the mutation had truly affected. Hank is our local doctor; he treats us for in the public's world we wouldn't be touched by any medical institution outside of our own. I guess the public just isn't ready for us yet. The elevator came to a halt and the doors opened revealing the silver hallway before me, littered with doors. Right at the end of the hall was Cerebro the professor's search engine for mutants; I was heading to the door just before that over to the left. As I entered the room I found that Hank was performing a check up on one of my students, her name was Jessica, she was 16 and had a physical mutation as well. Her mutation was that more of a cat, she obtained their eyes, fur, tail, and senses not to mention their balance and agility.  
  
"Hi there Mr. Howlett," said Jessica giving me a quick look over.  
  
"How did you recognize me, there are only a few that have seen me?" I asked the young one.  
  
"Oh it wasn't hard, your shape may have changed but your scent hasn't," she replied.  
  
"Right the shnoz, gotcha," I told her taking a seat on the table next to her.  
  
"So what are you in here for Mr. Howlett?"  
  
"Oh nothing much just a look over to see what really changed from before," I told her as Hank finished up.  
  
"Well there you go Jessica, all in working order," hank told her as she hopped off the table and left to head back upstairs. "So, Jack how have you been feeling?"  
  
"Oh I guess as normal as I can be," I replied as he set some of his stuff away.  
  
"That's good, I'm sorry I have to do this but I have another appointment out in Texas, emergency call you know and I have to go but I have asked that Gene have a look over you and we will go over the analysis either today or tomorrow. Is that alright for you?" he asked.  
  
"Sure why not as long as it gets done right?"  
  
"Yep you got it," he said throwing on his coat. "Yeah Gene should be here any minute now so you won't be waiting long."  
  
"Oh, ok, hope you have a good trip and I'll talk to you when you get back," I told him as he gave me a wave just before exiting the room.  
  
No sooner he was out the door when Gene walked into the room with a binder under her arm. "So I guess it's just you and me eh?"  
  
"Yeah," she said putting on some rubber gloves.  
  
"So what is that binder for anyway? That is if you don't mind me asking that is?"  
  
"Oh it's just a med book for canines. It's a back up just incase I have to treat you like the family dog," she told me while looking into my ears.  
  
"So what you're saying is, you get to scratch my belly while I get to hump your leg," I told her chuckling a bit.  
  
"Well lets hope we don't have to go that far, I might have to neuter you then," she replied taking a stethoscope from the wall.  
  
"Oh ok proved your point no further we shall go, I like my testicles right where they are thank you very much."  
  
From there we continued with the examination, she looked over my general areas and deducted that everything was fine and dandy. My heart rate was lower, my nose was cold, and my tail was swinging like nobody's business so I would take that as being good. From there we went down the hall a bit to the lab where in the center was the scanner thingy. Give me a break I know what it does just not what it's called alright, it takes a full body scan, allowing the doctor to examine the whole person to look for illness, damaged bones, that sort of thing. I removed my shirt and laid down on the table face up; to be honest I don't know why but even though the room could be 20 above, that table was always cold. You can lay there and just chill your ass off, it's really creepy. She powered it up as I awaited her signal to remain still. Finding a comfortable spot, if there was such a thing, I laid there and seen her give me the thumbs up. A large robotic arm began the scan taking reference points of my large frame, once it finished that it began to rotate around my body slowly gathering images of my body from on the inside and the out. Ten minutes had passed and the machine was finally done with what it had to collect. Waiting again for her signal I lifted my chilled back from the steel table and proceeded to put my shirt back on.  
  
"Well I have the results and I will give them to the professor, he will call you when he decides to talk to you," she told me walking out of the room, computer disk in hand.  
  
"Sure thing," I replied making my way behind her.  
  
It was from the lab I then made my way upstairs and into the courtyard of the mansion. As soon as I had step foot out of the doors my lower back felt oddly tense, I belt over putting my hands on my thighs and the tension disappeared. That got me curious, I soon bent over all the way until my hands touched the ground and I felt oddly natural. Bending my knees a bit I decided to try walking and to my surprise it felt really good. From there I took it as a sign that maybe I should really get out, I rushed back up to my room changed into a pair of shorts and made my way out of the mansion complex. I looked back and decided that a run through the woods wouldn't hurt, and besides that it had also been a while since I had gone out for a relaxing run.  
  
I made my way out of the mansion close to the highway so that I wouldn't lose direction of where I had come from. Judging from the speed of the cars I was moving around 60 to 70 mph and it was cool I wasn't really straining myself either, I could probably move quicker than that if I pushed myself. I watched as the trees and the sky moved past my face and it seemed like almost instantly I missed being in the mountains, back in my little hut with few if any possessions to my name. Back there I was a ghost, a hermit; all had heard about me few knew me. It was quiet and I seen no bother, then came the question "Why not go back?" I halted in my tracked right then and there, sure I could go it but look at all that I would be leaving behind. I would be giving up my family, friends, and the one that I love. But if I stayed and not left then what? I'd get caught staying in the mansion because I couldn't walk in the outside world, I would have to face ridicule and fear just for my appearances. Funny how this didn't bother me before and I really couldn't see why Kurt and Hank made such a big deal about it, well Hank not so much but Kurt finds it hard to go in public for the simple risk of being caught without his image inducer turned on. Ironic how fast viewpoints can change when you're put in the hot seat. Looking now I think that I will have to choose one or the other and that will have to be my final decision.  
  
Clearing my thoughts I continued on and moved upon my path, before too long I found my path leading me into Bayville itself. I realized that I should play it safe, but then again there was that voice in the back of my head telling me that maybe I should just creep in and have a look. Now that I looked at it I would simply look like a really big dog and if I played my cards right no one would think otherwise. Taking a second glance I realized that if the professor was in my position he would turn around and use a different method for getting into town, so I decided to do the sensible thing and go home. If I truly wanted in then I would have Kitty put a leash on me and walk me in.  
  
I arrived back at the mansion late in the afternoon, I found out that Kitty was looking for me and that the professor and Hank had made it back from Texas early due to a false alarm. I walked through the door and stood back up on my hind feet, feeling refreshed from my nice run. Making my way upstairs I caught the professor calling me to his office, I told him I would change into some better clothes and get there ASAP. As I walked into my room there was Kitty sitting on the bed and she seemed troubled.  
  
"Hey honey, what's wrong?" I asked her.  
  
"Well it's my parents they want to meet you and with this latest turn of events I think that it seems more and more like a bad idea," she replied holding one of the many photos of the two of us.  
  
"If they know that you are a mutant maybe they will accept my appearance as I am and look beyond this fur and teeth and see the real me, your husband to be, your new pet dog," I told her chuckling a bit, and I could tell that she found it amusing by the way that her shoulders bounced. "See, I don't think that it will be that bad we will just have to watch what we do."  
  
"Maybe you're right," she replied.  
  
"Who cares what your parents think, you are your own person, remember that," I told her taking a seat beside her and placing my arm around her waist. "I love you and that's all that matters."  
  
"Yeah, I love you too," she said giving me a hug. "You wanna think about something weird?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Just think about what our kids are going to look like," she said looking me in the eyes.  
  
"You're right, that is a scary thought," I replied giving her a kiss. "Come on the professor wants to talk about my scan results maybe you should know what your husband is all about."  
  
"Sure."  
  
We made our way out the room and down to the professor's office; I completely forgot to change of course, so I ended up walking into a room with three professionally dressed people and there was me in bicycle shorts. In the room was the professor, Hank, and my Father.  
  
"Ah Jack glad you could make it, have a seat," said the professor.  
"Thank you," I replied. "So what did the scan uncover?"  
  
"Well looking at it there was a significant influence toward canine change, your bone and muscle structure are views to that. Internal organs seem to have shifted around a bit but nothing has changed really except they have scaled up a bit to accommodate the larger body. Now we get to the complicated part of it, we know that adamantium in it's set state is practically indestructible, during your mutation your body contorted and shifted and ultimately stretched the metal to fit your new skeleton. That feat in all attempts should be considered impossible, how your body did it I guess we will never know but the fact that it happened is baffling," explained Hank setting the charts and photos down in front of him.  
  
"That's pretty much all that we found over the scan so, if you might like to input anything as to what you have noticed over the past two days," noted the professor.  
  
"Well I have noticed a strength increase and definitely a speed increase as well, today I went out for a run and noticed that will no real effort I can keep up with highway traffic on all fours anyway. I don't really know what would happen if I tried to run standing up but I imagine that I would be able to keep good pace," I told them.  
  
"What kind of strength increase have you gained?" asked Hank.  
  
"I would guess that I'm now 70% stronger, of course due to the different muscle groups."  
  
"I see," said Xavier. "Now I think the question should be, what is going to become of you two, being together that is?"  
  
"Well I believe we can still go ahead with this, I know it will seem weird but I think one the wrinkles are worked out then everything will be alright," I told them taking Kitty's hand into mine.  
  
"You know Jack I can give you an image inducer like Kurt's if you like?"  
  
"I think that I'll be fine looking like the family pet. I know that there will be some hurtles that we will have to cross but I believe that we will be able to cope with them."  
  
"As you wish but I will keep the offer open, should you come into a circumstance where you do happen to need it," replied the professor.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
We then closed the meeting and went back to our normal days tasks, I went back to my room and had a shower, a real long one. It felt really good but Kitty is gonna beat my blue ass. Why you ask, I used all of her really good, really expensive shampoo and conditioner. Believe me one handful will not do the kinda fur I got goin' on. Add in the conditioner and I have one silky, soft, and strong coat of fur, which in my case will be chased all over the damn mansion for this little deed. Now of course since I have gotten bigger I need bigger clothes and that little wardrobe set me back about 400 bucks, ouch eh? But what you gonna do? I can't run around in bike shorts all the time, or can I? Better not, we have frequent outside visitors and I wouldn't want to give the wrong impression when I tell them that I am a teacher. Hehe that would be great to see, hi I'm the housedog, I also teach graduate level social studies and history I'll let you walk me around, here hold my leash.  
  
I walked back downstairs to see what everyone else was up to and I found Kitty and Ororo sitting in the viewing room looking through dresses and decorations, lord only knew what was going through their heads. Which reminded me we still had to shop for the cake, hey just the two of us and I could be out in public, this would be great. I kind of trotted off into the garage where I found a chunk of chain that would work great as a collar. I then found another chain, lighter but still effective; that would work as a leash. I then put it on and walked just into the doorway of the viewing room, just kinda held it there in my hand.  
  
"Ungh Kitty," I said just to get her attention.  
  
"Yes," she said turning her head around to se me at the door.  
  
"I think we need to go for a walk," I told her in kind of a seductive manner, dangling the leash between two of my fingers.  
  
It was then that she put on kind of a goofy smirk and said, "alright, you wanna go for a walk, we'll go for a walk."  
  
"If you're wondering why I want to go it is because I wouldn't mind shopping for the cake today just to get it out of the way," I told her leading her to the garage.  
  
"Well why not, I could use some time in town for awhile," she noted hopping in the drivers seat of my car as I hopped into the passenger seat. "You wearing your shorts?"  
  
"Why do you ask?"  
  
"Well you're not going to walk around on all fours in a pair of khakis and a casual shirt are you? What happened to the family dog bit?" she questioned.  
  
"Well no but to answer your question, yes I do have my shorts on so don't worry about it," I told her as she started the engine and rolled off the property.  
  
While on the path to Bayville I got undressed and sat there like a good dog waiting to be let out of the car, this was going to be either a bunch of fun or a trip to hell and back. I was prepared for it I had to tell ya but as for her well shit anything could happen. We pulled around that last corner coming onto the main street where all the small shops and stores were established. Cruising slowly around I already noticed that people had begun to look at us, I have to admit I was one huge looking animal but then again this was Bayville everybody notices things. We parked the car and she came around to put my leash one me and let me out. People started to back away a bit as I came out of the car, there were looks of fear and amazement as she began to walk me down the street towards the bakery.  
  
"You know I should just sit on your back, I think that would make it more comfortable for me," Kitty said to me in a sly tone.  
  
I stopped and looked up to her, shifting my eyes a bit to see that no one was near, "don't even think about it," I said to her then continuing my path to the store.  
  
"Well I guess that you're in no place for argument now are you?"  
  
"Not really but you have to remember I'm doing this for the school not my own welfare, if I have to come out and expose myself then so be it," I told her making a turn into the front door of the bakery immediately catching the attention of the baker behind the counter.  
  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa what do you think you are doing?" he demanded while we walked through the door. "There are no pets allowed in this building, we produce food products here you should know the health code. Just put him outside and then you can get him once you are finished."  
  
"Don't worry he won't do anything I'll just sit him here in the center of the floor and that way he won't be a pest. Besides I need him here to make some decisions on the type of wedding cake we will be purchasing," Kitty told him as I moved to the center of the room.  
  
"What do you mean you need his approval, he's a dog; I don't think that he'll be eating any part of your wedding cake my dear," the baker told us as he took a second look at me. "But if you can promise me that he will not move an inch then I guess he can stay for a bit."  
  
"Good, lets start making something up," Noted Kitty after she set down the leash beside me. "We were thinking the standard three layer cake with the bride and groom figurines on top. The icing will be white with blue trim and several blue roses," she told him looking back at me to get my approval.  
  
"I don't think we should go for the roses it might seem cluttered," I said aloud not really realizing what I just did. "Oh shit did I just say that out loud."  
  
"Did, did that dog just talk?" the baker asked shakely.  
  
"No I didn't," I then said hoping to save myself.  
  
"You did, you did say that, what the hell are you?" he demanded.  
  
"Well honey looks like our covers blown," said Kitty seeming a bit disappointed.  
  
"Yeah I guess so, no use just sitting on the floor then," I told her standing up to my full height and unclipping the leash from my collar.  
  
"HOLY SHIT!! You're a big son of a bitch aren't you?" the baker said backing up a bit. "What are you?"  
  
"Well I'm the groom, and that's why she needed my input so lets get this over with shall we," I told him placing my hand on the counter.  
  
"Sssure, wh why not," he replied obviously frightened.  
  
We continued on and planned the rest of the cake out, and all the while the poor man's hands wouldn't stop shaking, and he probably perspired over a liter of water. When it came time to leave I simply got back down on all fours and Kitty hooked the leash back up to my collar and we left.  
  
"Have a good day, try not to work too hard," I told him before leaving.  
  
"Yeah sure thing," he replied flopping down into his seat and grabbing for a rag to wipe his forehead off.  
  
We left the bakery and made it back to the car where we were met by a police officer.  
  
"Do you have registration for that...dog of yours?" he asked staring down at me.  
  
"Well I don't think I need any seeing as I only look like a dog," I spoke up staring right back at him.  
  
"What the hell? You talked to me."  
  
"Yeah and I can do more than talk you oaf..."  
  
"Hey there's no need for that Jack just watch who you talk to!" Kitty exclaimed giving me a bat across the head.  
  
"He's one of those freaks isn't he?" the officer questioned setting his hands on his sides, his left being real close to the holster.  
  
"Not a freak a mutant, now you don't have to go waving your gun around just let us leave, we have a wedding to finish planning if you don't mind," I told him pulling the chain from Kitty's hands ands making my way into the passenger seat of the car.  
  
"Eh what you gonna do, the man's over a hundred I don't think he'll change now," she said walking to the driver's door and getting in.  
  
We left the officer there standing stunned by what he had just witnessed, a really big dog just went and told him to go fuck himself, and headed back for home. The drive back was quiet but I know Kitty was a little disappointed in the fact that I had not held my tongue back there at the bakery and with that officer. But that's just me, I speak my mind and she knew that soon after we first met. I was so happy that I was able to put my clothes back on and feel normal again, and be able to sit like a normal human being not like some dope ass canine. Pulling into the garage, she turned off the car and turned to look at me...  
  
"What will I ever do with you?" she asked me.  
  
"I know obedience school won't work," I told her. "The whole old dog and ndew tricks things just don't fly hun."  
  
"Yeah tell me about it," she replied giving me a kiss. "I figure it's getting late, we get some grub and go to bed, sound good to you?"  
  
"Yeah why not I am getting pretty hungry, and then tomorrow we can keep working on the wedding plans. That little even is only a month away," I told her stepping foot out of the car.  
  
And with that we left inside to do our things awaiting the day when it would finally happen.  
  
A/N: This is the second last chapter remember that, but I do have another story in the works that will follow after this one so it might make it's debut here in approximately 3 weeks to a month.  
  
Next... chapter 10 Two Weddings and a Funeral 


	10. All Good Things Must Come to an End

A/N: This is the last chapter and I am proud to say that it was a long but fruitful journey. I say thank you to all who read this and have further enjoyed my labor of love.  
  
Family Forgotten  
  
Chapter 10: All Good Things Must Come to an End  
  
I couldn't believe it the wedding was only three days away and I was nervous as shit, we had everything planned or I should say that Ororo and Kitty planned everything, my father and I kind of sat back and said either yes or no to their proposals. But that wasn't it, it was the fact that I was going to marry a woman that I would be spending the rest of my days with; it's a bit to think about. Sure through our time together we have had our peaceful and our troubled but we have conquered it all and still not broken from each other, this is true love. To think that I almost left, left it all behind because I was scared of what others thought of me.  
  
I was working on the altar setup and preparing it for a dark mahogany stain that would boast the craftsman that assembled such a gem. My father and Ororo were out gathering the flowers for the bouquets and the lapels, it wasn't like he wanted to go it was just Ororo told him he wanted to go. Kitty was...was...somewhere I don't know, I mean I can't keep track of that girl all the time. But I'm sure that she was doing something that had anything to do with the wedding.  
  
"Lookin' good there kiddo," came a voice from behind me as I turned to find my father and Ororo back from the woods.  
  
"Thanks, I guess fifty years of building my own homes has paid off after all," I told them climbing off the stepladder.  
  
"Well people will be impressed, we just have to garnish it with a few lilies and it will be perfect," noted Ororo holding one from her basket. "We assembled the bouquets and we have found enough lapels for four guys and enough corsages for four women so I guess you guys have some choices to make."  
  
"Sure thing, I think Hank, Kurt, Scott, and probably Bobby. I think that those four should do it," I said looking to my father. "What about you dad?"  
  
"Well yeah I think that will do, they have been really good to us and are close friends," my father noted. "By the way have you and kitty gone to talk to her parents yet, I know that they know about you and getting married and all but they don't know about the recent change from human to that."  
  
"No we haven't. It really makes it bad in the fact that we have only talked over the phone we haven't really met face to face even though we have sent pictures," I told them.  
  
"You got three days Jack I best say that you take care of it now and let them in on the big picture," Ororo told me.  
  
"Yeah you're right we should just take the plane down there and go there for a day and that way we can iron the wrinkles out. I just hope that they aren't upset, I know that having their girl marry an animal just seems illegal," I told them chuckling a bit at my own joke. "Yeah speaking of illegal, she's 25 and I'm 100, oh sweet statutory."  
  
"Yeah, I'm in the same boat boy, but people would think that she's after money or somethin'," may father noted turning to head back to the mansion. "See ya around kid."  
  
"See ya dad." I told him fastening the last screw and then proceeding to gather my tools.  
  
I grabbed the last of my stuff and brought it back to the garage, from there I left inside to see if I could find Kitty and sure enough when I entered our room, there she was, on the phone with her mother, chit chatting about the wedding and how the day will go through.  
  
As she turned she saw me and put her mom on hold for a quick sec, "you know we need to still talk to them right?" I noted to her.  
  
"Yeah, actually that is what I was going to arrange with her, I figured that they could stay with us here in the mansion for the last two days before the wedding and we would just fly them back when it was over," she told me/  
  
"Oh, well that sounds as good as any, we'll do that then," I replied letting her get back to the phone call. "By the way we'll leave later this afternoon."  
  
She then gave me one of those, yeah yeah waves as I proceeded to head out of the room and down to the hanger. On my way past I had noticed that the professor happened to be working with Cerebro and I decided to stop and inquire what he happened to be up to.  
  
"Hi there Charles what you up to this early in the day?" I inquired taking a place beside him.  
  
"Oh nothing too much I have been keeping tabs on my brother, Kane Marco. A couple weeks ago he broke out of prison with a little aid from our friend Mystique," he explained setting his helmet down.  
  
"I see, do you think that he'll come here?"  
  
"Well it wouldn't surprise me, he always tries," spoke Xavier.  
  
"What really happened between you two that has left him so angry?" I asked. "Or is it not my place to know."  
  
"No he was jealous of my mutant abilities and I was jealous of his parental attention. It eventually drove us apart but it was when he obtained the power of the Ruby of Cittorack than I forgave him and sought to maybe make amends but now that I have found peace between us his anger still remains."  
  
"What stops a being with such brute force?" I asked him as we proceeded out of the chamber.  
  
"Well I guess someone of equal strength or I have found that mental bursts can break him down from the inside out and render him harmless," he explained.  
  
"He wasn't born with an X- gene was he, it was simply the ruby that gave him all this power am I correct?"  
  
"Almost, he was born with an X-gene but it only went active after he obtained the ruby that gave way for his added strength to be multiplied leading to what you see before you, a walking, breathing juggernaut."  
  
"Huh, well as long as he doesn't come here within the week we'll be alright I guess," I told the professor as I left the room.  
  
From there I made my way down to the hanger and began to prep the jet for our trip to see Kitty's parents over in Washington. Pretty much all that we needed was a change of clothes and to fuel the plane up everything else was usually taken car of during the regular maintenance schedule. Her parents lived maybe half an hour outside of Seattle so we could land close without getting in the way of local air traffic. I left the hanger and proceeded back to our room so that I could gather a few things, as I opened the door I found Kitty standing before me luggage in hand.  
  
"You have the Blackbird ready?" she asked shoving the suitcase into my chest.  
  
"Yeah, I was just about to go and grab a few things..." I noted as she cut me off.  
  
"No, no need I got everything already here so we are all set to go."  
  
"Oh ok then I guess we'll just head off then, that is if it's alright with you,"  
  
"Sure," she said passing through me and back into the hanger, man I hate it when she does that.  
  
From there we took off from New York and made our transnational flight in about 4 to 4 1/2 hours. Soon enough the shapely figure of the Seattle skyline appeared and we knew it would only be a matter of minutes before our arrival. Kitty's parents lived in a suburb, one that was newly developing, so there was a large field behind us we could use as our landing area. Slowly we descended and planted the plane down atop a soft grassy knoll. We shut down the computers and gathered our bag and then proceeded off the craft. The grass was cool and a bit damp, the air itself was humid giving reason to believe recent rainfall. Steadily enough we made our way to the house only to be greeted at the door by a middle aged man with a well trimmed moustache and goatee followed by his distinctive round rimmed glasses. The man's face lit up as he saw Kitty leading me to only assume that this would be her father. Then from around a corner came a woman about the same age, she had a book in hand and carried a light scent of lemon on her clothes probably from a drink or air freshener. It was only then that my attention was brought from my surroundings as my name was spoken...  
  
"Dad I would like for you to finally meet Jack," Kitty spoke as she pointed to me.  
  
Her father was speechless, he looked over me again and again and I could tell he was looking for someone human in appearance but it never came.  
  
"What happened to the photos? This can't be him," he spoke stepping back a bit.  
  
"Well I'm sorry to say that I am Jack and that I'm a little shocked to be looking as I am as well," I answered dropping down onto all fours. "Oh yeah that's better, much more comfortable."  
  
"But how can you go from human to that in such a short amount of time?" he asked letting through the door. "We have no problem with mutants, at all, we would like our Catherine to have a normal life as anyone else would. Having such an extreme alteration in physical appearance is like throwing a wrench into a well oiled machine. If you catch my drift."  
  
"Yeah I know what you are saying and I guess that we'll have to put up with it and see it as another hurdle to overcome," I told him moving into the living room and taking a seat on the floor next to Kitty who was sitting on the couch.  
  
"No matter how you look at it it's still there, but I think that we can manage to work on this and we can think of some things that will make the adjustment more manageable," he noted taking a seat in an arm chair just opposite the two of us. "What causes a change like that anyway?"  
  
"Well it is that same little thing that gave Kitty her abilities. Those pesky X-genes seem to do all the damage."  
  
"I've looked into the whole gene thing and once they are used up, or when they become active, doesn't that mean that all your changes are finished?" her mother asked.  
  
"Well last year my father and another mutant were training in our danger room when something went wrong and I had to go in there to try and help them. I got caught and was knocked into a coma for three days, the machine threw me into a steel wall denting my adamantium spine and crushing my old tail. For some reason my healing ability went and regenerated new genetics, since my tail was crushed and removed my body sought to grow it back and I guess couldn't do it because it wasn't in my original genetic makeup. So now I have this new DNA and I can't use it, of course containing new and dormant X-genes. From there they stayed dormant and were watched via wrist monitor, only a year later they went active after exposure to radiation and I am now as what you see before you," I explained as Kitty began to scratch behind my ear. "Oh I'd tell you to stop but it feels soooo damn gooooood."  
  
"So these X-genes are completely random?" asked her mother.  
  
"Yeah, really anything can happen. My father and I are odd examples of this though..."  
  
"Why"  
  
"Well to look at our genetic mutations we are almost identical, we both heal fast, have wrist bound claws, and animal senses. But I have gone even further with having increased strength and better dexterity as well. The government had us both for their weapon X program and coated both of our skeletons in adamantium..."  
  
"You mean that indestructible alloy?" her father asked.  
  
"That's the one."  
  
"How do you manipulate it if you can't break it down?"  
  
"You have to maintain a liquid state in order for it to work properly, but enough about that crap I think that we have to talk about more pressing issues, and in the wedding for example. For we all know that it is coming up here in a couple days," I said moving to a cross-legged position on the floor.  
  
From there it was all business, we chatted about the wedding, or I should say that Kitty and her mom chatted about the wedding, her dad and I made our way out onto the deck and had ourselves a beer. We kept chatting and soon enough dinner was ready and we had sat down to eat. From then on the evening went like a summer's breeze and I found myself looking across from me in the bed at my wife to be and questioning where in the hell all this time we had spent together had gone. For me it felt like only yesterday that I had stumbled upon the institute battered and bruised not knowing what in the hell to do. But I guess life does that to you and you have to take each moment with a grain of salt. It was the next morning that we all flew back to New York for the wedding and the rest of our life together.  
  
. . .  
  
The big day was here, the tables were set the people were ready and the whole mansion was a buzz as people were getting ready and getting places set. My father and I got ready in one room while Ororo and Kitty were changing in another. Then came a knock at the door...  
  
"Y'know that y'all got five minutes before the walk up to the altar right," Rogue questioned.  
  
"Yeah we know we'll be out in a jiffy," said my father finishing up his tie. "This will be the last monkey suit that I will ever wear, I will make sure of it."  
  
I just chuckled and made the final checks on my hair and fit before walking out of the room. "See you out there dad."  
  
"Sure thing."  
  
Before too long he and I were both up there waiting and then came the music as the bride's maids and the best men approached the altar then followed by both of the brides. Kitty and Ororo looked both incredibly beautiful.  
  
"So which one am I marrying again?" I asked my father stupidly.  
  
"Yeah, yeah just shut up and grab your girl alright," he told me taking Ororo's hand as I took Kitty's.  
  
It was then like a flash of light had struck and it was over, you know it took that long to get through it but it was done and all we had to do was say the magic words "I do".  
  
"If there is no opposition as to why these people should not be wed let them speak now... no... then we can continue. From this I now pronounce you husbands and wives, gentlemen you may now kiss your brides," the pastor said.  
  
"Come here you," Kitty told me grabbing my tie and laying a good one on my lips.  
  
The End 


End file.
